A CITY restaurant boss is buzzing after being invited to collect a top environmental award at an event in the House of Commons.

Two years ago, Marco Giannasi who owns the Battlefield Rest, signed up to a scheme to provide homes for honey bees.

It is run by Plan Bee which installs and manages hives and collects the honey.

Mr Giannasi decided to have two hives on the roof of his restaurant opposite Victoria Infirmary and they are now home to around 80,000 bees.

They result in the eaterie getting around 70 jars of honey which have proved so popular customers have to pre-book for a jar and are limited to one each.

The Battlefield Rest scheme was nominated for a Green Apple award and has learned it is one of three projects in the UK to be successful.

The awards scheme is the longest running international awards programme in the world and is open to any council, company or organisation doing something to benefit the environment.

Mr Giannasi has been invited to London to find out whether he has picked up the gold, silver or bronze award.

However he has had to decline as the ceremony is on November 6 when he will be on holiday with his wife Yellena to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary the following day.

The restaurant boss said: "I was speechless when I found out we had won an award. This is a UK award so for a very small business to be recognised is good and shows small firms can still make a statement.

"We tried to cancel our holiday so we could go to Westminster Palace for the award ceremony but it was going to be too expensive."

Instead he is hoping a family member will go in his place and let him know which award he has scooped.

Mr Giannasi, who is from Tuscany, said honey was a family staple and was used at breakfast time and to sweeten tea and coffee.

He said: "There are local bee hives in Tuscany so I have been brought up on honey."

However he was stunned last year when 40,000 of his bees left his hives and swarmed on a nearby car park causing consternation for passersby.

Undeterred, Mr Giannasi is planning to install a sedum roof with wildflowers at the restaurant to create what he describes as a bee playground.