TEN leading restaurants across Dorset have made it into the prestigious Trencherman’s Guide 2011/12, which was launched last week.

Thanks to its panoramic views and “inspirational dishes”, the Captain’s Club in Christchurch was one of the county’s restaurants to be featured in the guide, which celebrates the best restaurants in the south west.

Shaftesbury’s La Fleur de Lys, “an oasis of peace and comfort with… some of the finest cuisine around”, also made it into the latest edition, alongside Sienna Restaurant in Dorchester, which judges praised for serving “great seasonal food, much of which comes from the region”.

Daily Echo contributor and celebrity chef Mark Hix will have an extra reason to be cheerful when he reads the guide, which describes the Hix Oyster and Fish House in Lyme Regis as “possibly the best spot in Dorset to enjoy simply cooked seafood and a glass of wine.”

So too will the owners of the Riverside Restaurant in Bridport, which was selected for its “top quality seasonal produce from the local coast and countryside”.

New to this year’s guide is the Rising Stars sections, which doffs a hat to up and coming restaurants across the south west.

There were no fewer than five restaurants from Dorset in this section and they are listed below:

• Captain’s Club Hotel, Christchurch

• La Fleur de Lys, Shaftesbury

• Sienna Restaurant, Dorchester

• Riverside Restaurant, Bridport

• Hix Oyster and Fish House, Lyme Regis Rising stars…

• Le Petit Canard, Maiden Newton, Dorchester

• Beaminster Brasserie at the Bridge House, Beaminster

• The Acorn Inn, Evershot, Dorchester

• The Grange at Oborne, Sherborne

• The Bull Hotel, Bridport