THE four-star Sopwell House Hotel at St Albans confirmed its standing in the big league of corporate hospitality providers when Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger opened the hotel's new restaurant earlier this month.

Wenger was invited to do the honours as he is a personal friend of Abraham Bejerano, owner of the exclusive AB hotel chain of which Sopwell House is a part.

MP Anne Main and St Albans City Mayor Councillor Alison Steer were also among the VIP guests invited to the opening along with some of the hotel's valued clients and other dignitaries.

Councillor Malcolm MacMillan said: "The opening ceremony was delightful.

"Attentive staff ensured that guests received a taste of what to expect in terms of quality services and refreshments.

"This was an excellent marketing exercise of what is to come at the restaurant."

The new restaurant, formerly the Magnolia, has been renovated to keep up with the changing demands and tastes of its clientele.

The London based hotel and restaurant design experts, RDD, were commissioned to give the restaurant a more relaxed and contemporary ambience.

Together with the hotel's in-house project manager, they have successfully achieved this brief, without straying too far from convention and alienating existing customers.

To complement its new look, the restaurant's menu also underwent a makeover.

Sopwell House has hired award-winning chef Leigh Diggins to create a menu that spotlights modern British cuisine featuring simple and unpretentious seasonal dishes and fresh ingredients sourced locally.

Diggins is featured as one of the stalwarts of British cuisine, having been named by Enjoy England, the official tourist board of England, as one of its Food Heroes.

The new restaurant also features a superb wine collection housed in an impressive wall where customers can choose from an array of wines from around the world to complete their dining experience.

Sopwell House was formerly the Georgian country home of Lord Mountbatten and traditions at Sopwell were born in an era when service, hospitality and elegance were the standard, not the exception.

For reservations at Sopwell House telephone 01727 864477.