SCATHING food critic A A Gill has given a rare thumbs-up to a Burton Bradstock restaurant.

Gill, known for his waspish attacks on London eateries, gave the Hive Beach Caf four out of five stars in a Sunday Times magazine review.

Now the Beach Road business is booming, with caf staff fielding dozens of calls a day from eager gourmets.

Steve Attrill, who has run the business for 12 years, said: "It's been fantastic. The response has been absolutely amazing.

"I can't say exactly how busy we've been since, but we have been a lot, lot busier.

"Who would have guessed it? We knew he was here with Billy Bragg - we see a few celebrities here and try to leave them alone - but we didn't think he'd be writing a review."

But it's not just the Hive Beach Caf that's benefiting from the glowing review.

Mr Attrill said: "It sounds like a clich, but he's really put the area on the map.

"We've been asked about places to stay and we've got a list of five we're recommending."

He added that the review 'couldn't have come at a better time' as his business was taking part in the forthcoming Bridport Food Week.

Gill describes the caf as 'one of the best'.

Of the fish soup, he writes: 'It was exactly the sort of thing you want on the south coast - not remotely grand, but tasting nicely of its constituent parts.'

He describes the chips as being 'the best of English: soft white and fluffy'. And he says the ginger and spice cake is 'particularly good'.

He adds: 'To sit in a seaside caf is one of the great joyous miseries of England: the rain lashing the awning, the wind bowling over the ice-lolly sign while, inside, the tea urn steams up the windows, slowly obliterating the view of the leaden sky and the rolling ocean.

'The Hive Beach Caf is one of the best and I'm giving it a lavish rating.'