West Dorset restaurants have joined the best of the south west after being included in a prestigious dining guide.

The Ollerod and Brassica Restaurant, both in Beaminster, The Station Kitchen in West Bay, The Club House in West Bexington and The Alexandra in Lyme Regis, are all newcomers to this year’s Trencherman’s Guide.

The guide, now in its 27th edition, features only the best venues, guaranteed to give exceptional dining experiences, with 150 leading restaurants across the south west being included.

Claire Moore, of The Station Kitchen in West Bay, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be featured in this year’s Trencherman’s Guide.

“Trencherman’s has introduced epicureans to the south west’s finest feasting establishments since 1992 and we are super proud to have met the grade to join this prestigious club.

“Both our front and back of house teams have worked seamlessly hard and passionately since we created The Station Kitchen back in 2015, being featured in such a well-regarded book within the industry is most rewarding for us all.”

In addition to the restaurant reviews, the guide also includes leading chefs’ tip-offs on where they’ll be eating out in 2019, bitesize roundups of some of the best dining experiences, plus full-page features on each of the 2019 Trencherman’s award winning restaurants.

Louise Chidley, of Brassica Restaurant in Beaminster, said: “We at Brassica Restaurant are thrilled of have been invited as a full member of the Trencherman’s 27th guide this year - a publication which at it’s heart champions great food in the south west, supporting independent establishments and highlighting the talent of the area.”

Establishments must meet a strict quality-criteria in order to be included in the guide.

Chris Staines and Silvana Bandini, of The Ollerod in Beaminster, said: “The Trencherman’s Guide is a prestigious publication that celebrates some of the best places to eat in the south west.

“We are absolutely delighted to have been included in this selection, especially given that we’re about to celebrate our first birthday as The Ollerod restaurant with rooms.

“Serving exquisite meals and providing unforgettable experiences to our customers is very important to us and we’re honoured to have been recognised for doing exactly that.”

Trencherman’s chairman, Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines, calls it ‘a guarantee of exceptional dinning experiences’, while Rick Stein describes the book as ‘a guide with teeth’.

Jo Rees, the guide’s editor, said: “For 27 years the Trencherman’s Guide has been the passport to exquisite dinning at independent restaurants across the south west of England and it’s wonderful to see so many very special finds in this year’s guide.”

For more information, visit www.trenchermans-guide.com