AN award-winning Ribble Valley restaurant has scooped another national prize after being named in the top 10 Best Secret Restaurants in the UK.

Breda Murphy has run her own restaurant, Food by Breda Murphy, in Whalley since 2006 and only found about The Times award shortly before it was published.

Mother-of-four Breda, 55, was named in the Michelin Guide and the Good Food Guide in 2011 and 2012.

The Station Road restaurant was named in the top 130 Best Secret Restaurants last year and Breda said she was ‘delighted’ to have received such high recognition.

Breda, who is originally from County Carlow in Ireland, moved the UK 16 years ago and has previously worked in London and as head chef at the Inn at Whitewell in the Forest of Bowland before setting up her own business.

She said: “It’s wonderful to have been named among top restaurants from across the country and I’m absolutely delighted.

“I would put the restaurant’s success down to the consistent high quality of food that we produce. I’ve really enjoyed my time so far running the restaurant and I hope that the future also brings a lot of success.”

Breda started out at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, south east Ireland, before spending six years at the Inn at Whitewell.

She said: “I was trained as a chef, but I now leave that side of things to my head chef, Gareth Bevan, who I’ve worked with since 1997. We understand each other very well and I think that leads to a very smooth working relationship.

“We each know where we are both coming from and that allows us to get the most out of the restaurant as we can.

“It’s a strong partnership and the restaurant would not be as much of a success as it is without him with me.”