A new restaurant in a Lake District hotel has been nominated for a national award.

Mizu, the Pan Asian restaurant at the Lodore Falls Hotel and Spa in Borrowdale, has picked up a nomination in The Golden Chopstick Awards, which “celebrate the enormous contribution of Oriental cuisine to the UK catering industry and champion those who work within it”.

It is among the nominees in the Best Newcomer category.

Devised by TV host and entrepreneur Gok Wan, the awards, now in their second year are the only ones of their kind to recognise Oriental cuisine its contribution to the UK catering industry.

Reflecting a growing demand for South East Asian flavours, Mizu’s Pan Asian cuisine offers specialities from across the continent including Korean, Malaysian and Japanese dishes.

The restaurant was launched in May last year and marked the first part of the Lodore Falls Hotel and Spa’s £10 million investment project. That also say the opening of the new The Falls Spa in November.

Matt Collins, manager of Lodore Falls Hotel and Spa, said: “We’re really excited to hear that Mizu has been nominated in these awards, particularly as one of the few regional entrants outside of London.

“We hope that our past guests can help us to be selected as a finalist for Best Newcomer.”

The Best Newcomer category is one of 13 categories in The Golden Chopstick Awards which are open to a public vote.

Another five categories are voted for by a judging panel, with three more decided solely by the award scheme’s founders.

Public voting opened on Friday, February 1 and will run until Sunday, March 10.

People who take part in the public vote can be in with a chance of winning £500 and a meal for two in one of the winning restaurants.

Top nominees will be invited to the London Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square in the centre of the capital for an awards ceremony which will take place on Monday, April 29.

The ceremony at which the winners are announced will be hosted by Gok Wan and attended by other celebrities.

To vote for the Lodore Falls Hotel and Spa’s Pan Asian restaurant in the awards, visit www.thegoldenchopsticksawards.com/mizu-pan-asian-restaurant