A POPULAR Hereford restaurant has been recognised at a national awards ceremony, being highly commended in four categories.

Leaven Pizza was highly commended for best pizzeria, best team, best pizza and best restaurant in the Midlands.

The pizza restaurant is owned by A Rule of Tum (ART), which also owns other Hereford foodie hot spots including the Burger Shop and the Bookshop.

ART founder and operations director Dorian Kirk said: "Leaven's success at this event is a remarkable accomplishment, given that they only opened 12 months ago! With these recent recognitions under their belt, the team are raring to go and excited to continue serving the Midlands community with the finest Italian-inspired dishes."

The Italian Awards took place on October 6 and was hosted by chef Aldo Zilli. Other notable moments from the night included the lifetime achievement award presented to Marco Pierre White, a legendary figure in the restaurant world.

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ART was founded by Dorian, Rupert and Edwin Kirk, a family from Hereford, in 2013.

Independent restaurant group A Rule of Tum opened the Burger Shop in Hereford 10 years ago, marking the beginning of its journey, and has since added three more restaurants in the city.

Situated next to the Burger Shop are the Bookshop, Leaven Pizza and Maneki Ramen. Connecting them is the Yard, a shared space for the four restaurants based in Aubrey Street.

The Yard allows customers to mix and match their orders from any or all of the menus at the four restaurants. Guests can pick their seat, with no bookings taken, order by QR code from any of the four restaurants on site, and buy drinks directly from the bar, while food will be brought out to them.

A Rule of Tum brands the Yard as Hereford's answer to Boxpark, a food and retail park first launched in Shoreditch before opening locations in Croydon and Wembley, promising visitors a "personalised feast".

The Burger Shop and Leaven Pizza are open seven days a week, with the Bookshop and Maneki Ramen open from Thursday to Sunday.

Maneki was the most recent of the restaurants to launch, opening its doors in May.