AN East Lancashire restaurant has been named the best Chinese in the country at a prestigious awards ceremony.

Yu & You, in Copster Green, is celebrating the start of the Chinese New Year with style after scooping a gong at beer firm Tsingtao’s Legacy of Taste Awards in London.

The Chinese beat Artisam, in Corbridge, and Xian, in Orpington, to win the category.

Overall there were more than 8,000 votes in the competition which attracted hundreds of entries from restaurants across the country.

Winners were announced by TV chef and writer, Ching-He Huang.

Head chef Victor Yu said: "It's a great achievement to be a winner in the Tsingtao Legacy of Taste competition – it's the only competition of its type in Britain.

“To be recognised alongside Michelin-starred London restaurants is something we’re really proud of.

“The award has come at a great time for us business wise as we’ve just launched our new bar area to encourage city-style dining, which is also a chance to showcase our cocktail offering.

“We think it’s true to say we’re further reinforcing East Lancashire as one of Britain's best epicurean hotspots.”

The competition aims to herald establishments that continue to protect the heritage of Chinese cooking in Britain, by continuing to use authentic Chinese cooking methods.

Figures show British people are consuming more Chinese food than ever before with 25 to 34-year-olds tucking into more than two Chinese meals a week at a cost of £33 per week, over £1,700 per year.

In the North West the average person consumes 79.9 meals a year at a cost of £876.40, more than any other region outside London, according to a survey by Tsingtao, which is now China’s number one beer export with more than 50 per cent of the country's total overseas beer sales.

Yu and You's most popular dishes include a signature starter dish of chicken wrapped in bamboo leaves marinated in honey and satay and main courses such as shredded chicken chilli and the famed Wagyu beef, which the restaurant cooked for Gordan Ramsay in 2010, during Channel 4’s Ramsay’s Best Restaurant.