A PICTURESQUE Ribble Valley hostelry where Prince Andrew and Fergie are said to have courted was today the toast of the hotel trade.

The family-run Inn at Whitewell, in the Trough of Bowland, has been listed in the prestigious Good Hotel Guide 2004 after receiving a Cesar Award.

The Cesar awards, named after top London hotelier Cesar Ritz, are considered the Oscars of the hotel world and judges praised the inn for its "utterly enjoyable mild eccentricity."

The public house has also been named one of the top 25 hotels in the country by the Independent Hotel Guide Harden's, published today.

The 14th Century inn has gone from strength to strength since being acquired by former Lancashire pace bowler Richard Bowman in 1978.

It was included in the 2003 Les Routiers Pubs and Inns Guide, where it was described as being "wonderfully relaxed, laid back and mildly eccentric, with a haphazard arrangement of furnishings and bric-a-brac."

The 17-bed hostelry has an award-winning restaurant and is popular with the country set and locals alike. It was also named Best Small Hotel in last year's North West Tourism Awards.

Manager Charles Bowman, 37, the son of Richard Bowman, said the secret of the quirky inn's appeal was excellent food and wonderful accommodation.

Charles quit a successful career in advertising in London to take over the running of the establishment after his wife fell in love with the area.

He said: "Our menu features lots of game, organic food and we even make our own bread and cereal. We also stock a range of exclusive wines."

International chef Breda Murphy, of the acclaimed Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, is one of the inn's 50-strong team.

Eccentric decor includes antique bathrooms with porcelain suites and the stuffed rear end of a fox on the wall of the main passageway.

It is part of the Duchy of Lancaster's estate and nestles on the banks of the River Hodder and has it's own fishing rights for seven miles.

The clientele has included Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Queen of Spain, Hollywood actress Holly Hunter and numerous TV and soccer celebrities, although Charles Bowman was keeping tight-lipped about exactly who.

"Our clients come from every walk of life, from celebrities to locals, including a couple who come from Kirky Lonsdale for dinner every Thursday night without fail.

"Whatever we are doing we are doing it right because people keep coming back."