THE phone has not stopped ringing at Hibiscus in Ludlow ever since Claude Bosi's restaurant won its second Michelin star.

The accolade came to Claude and his staff after major renovation work at the restaurant.

Claude's wife Claire broke off from dealing with messages on the answering machine to say: "The second star came out of the blue, a complete surprise."

The award comes three years after Hibiscus in Corve Street gained its first star.

The second star elevates Hibiscus from "A very good restaurant in its category" to "Excellent cooking, worth a detour". It also places it one rung ahead of Ludlow's other Michelin restaurants, Shaun Hill's Merchant House and Chris Bradley's Mr Underhill's. Only 10 other restaurants in the UK have two stars.

"It's great for Ludlow," said Claude. "Both Shaun and Chris told us how pleased they are." He pledged that prices would not go up. "Some places sometimes double their prices while they stay the same. We are staying the same and still charging £36 for a set three-course dinner, or £25 for lunch."