EVERY day chefs Alex Nutt and Patrizia Ferrara wake up with no idea which meals they are going to be preparing.

The Ilminster couple fly by the seat of their pants, leaving it until the last minute before deciding what to feature in their latest award-winning selection of food.

“Most chefs would think we are insane,” said Alex, and yet despite their completely spontaneous approach, the pair are already celebrating a prestigious prize.

Today’s Menu, which opened a year ago in 1 North Street in Ilminster, has been featured in the Good Food Guide 2020.

The publication picks the UK’s very best places to dine, only after a visit from the critics, and is published by Waitrose and Partners.

“It is the culmination of a lot of hard work over the past three years,” said Alex.

“When we set up the restaurant we didn’t want to borrow from a bank or owe an investor. We managed by working for two years and saving every penny.

“It is wonderful. The Good Food Guide is one of the most important food reviewers in the country.”

The guide features 1,200 eateries - from big names to best-kept secrets - and was published on September 12.

Alex and Patrizia’s achievement is even more incredible when you realise they were inspected just six months after first opening.

“This comes together with why we chose Ilminster,” Alex added.

“It is a wonderful place with a wonderful community, and we now feel part of that.

“It is a fantastic spot on A303, which is perfect to stop off in if you are coming down from London or on the way over from Cornwall and you want to stop for lunch or dinner.

“We are now the closest restaurant to the A303 in the Good Food Guide.”

Alex has previously run successful restaurants in Somerset, North Devon and Cornwall, before opening his current business with partner Patrizia.

He said: “Patrizia and I are both chefs and partners, and it is something we love to do. We wake up in the morning and decide ‘what shall we do today’.

“We have a new menu for every lunch and dinner. It brings us closer together and refocuses our creativity and attention to detail.”

Today’s Menu is one of just two new Somerset entries into the Good Food Guide.

Elizabeth Carter, the publication’s editor, said: “Seven decades of publication have given The Good Food Guide a unique insight into eating out in Britain.

“The more we conduct our lives online, the more we look for care, provenance and thoughtfulness – especially when it comes to food.”

To see pictures of Alex and Patrizia’s latest food creations, visit instagram.com/todaysmenufoodstudies.

To book a table, go to todaysmenu.co.uk.