THE co-owner of a Michelin-star restaurant is among the best managers in the country.

Sian Buchan, of Pine at Vallum Farm, East Wallhouses, made it to the final four of the prestigious Insititute of Hospitality (IoH) Restaurant Manager of the Year awards at Hotel Cafe Royal in London.

The awards celebrate the very best managers in the industry from some of the UK's leading hospitality establishments.

READ MORE: The local restaurants named in the UK's top 100

Finalists competed against one another in a day of live tasks, which saw Sian place first but the front-of-house manager finished fourth overall.

She said: "To have the opportunity of competing alongside my peers from around the UK has been a fantastic experience.

"There’s no doubt in my mind that the professionalism on display throughout the competition demonstrates that the future of the industry we all love is in safe hands.

"I’d like to congratulate Christie on her hard-earned victory and everyone else who took part in getting this far. Hopefully, I’ll return next year!”

All of this year’s semi-finalists will receive a year’s IoH membership and free tickets to future IoH events. They will also receive mentoring from judges, helping them to further develop their management skills and careers.

Sarah Peters, head of events at the Institute of Hospitality, added: "I would like to say a massive thank you to all of the incredible semi-finalists, our incredible judges who gave their valuable time to help us access such amazing talent and to our panellists who joined us at the winner's reception."