Michelin Stars In The Uk's Eyes

The Michelin Guide causes a lot of chefs and restaurateurs sleepless nights. It has become something of a holy grail for the restaurant business and not only means high praise but also big bucks! There is much contention over the actual value of the judging system, certain (French) biases and a falling quality of restaurants. This has just added to the PR commotion that surrounds the guide in the UK. Shows like Masterchef and the rise of the super celebrity chef have turned the French tyre manufacturer’s previously humble guide into a star itself.  Last year the BBC aired an insightful documentary looking at the Michelin Guide climate in London restaurants during the weeks before it is published, the conclusion being that the whole ordeal seemed somewhat insane!
Insanity aside, this week the UK guide was released and delivered more stars to the UK than any time in history (it is the guides 100th UK anniversary – yet there has only been 38 issues published). The national tally increases to 140, surpassing the (previously record) 2010 haul. With all the media hype it will no doubt help propel the status of British restaurants to yet another new high. Just last week Joël Robuchon, who has 25 Michelin stars to his name made the statement in Paris that London is now the culinary capital of the world!
Even with the record number there were not too many changes this year. All 3 starred establishments kept the honour without any new stars awarded. There were however, two new Two Stars awarded, one to Nathan Outlaw and the Rock in Cornwall and Helene Darroze at the Connaught in Mayfair. She joined a list of growing female chefs with stars by their names. Skye Gyngell at Petersham Nurseries was awarded her first star, twitter reported that she was ‘in tears’ on hearing the news (we have been dying to eat there).
London received by far the biggest share of new stars. Viajante headed by the Portugese rising star Nuno Mendes got a star after only being open for a year, no mean feat. Mendes who interned at  the heavyweight El Bulli in Spain has been receiving huge attention in the blogosphere and print media as well for Viajante. Galvin La Chappele in Spitafields won a star as did Kitchen W8 in Kensington (which is also barely a year old). Petrus in Belgravia gives another star to Gordon Ramseys growing cupboard full. It has often been mentioned that Petrus has been setup with the Michelin criteria solely in mind and it has worked!
Here is a full list of starred restaurants included in the new Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2011 (in bold denotes a new entry):
Its criteria are the same as when the Michelin guides started out as a driving guide for the early era of motorists. Three stars mean exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey; two stars are for excellent cooking, worth a detour; one star denotes a very good restaurant in its category, worth a stop.
:: THREE STARS
Fat Duck, Bray, Windsor & Maidenhead
Waterside Inn, Bray, Windsor & Maidenhead
LONDON
Gordon Ramsay, Kensington & Chelsea
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Mayfair
:: TWO STARS
ENGLAND
Midsummer House, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon
Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Whatley Manor, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Rock, Cornwall
LONDON
Pied à Terre, Bloomsbury
The Ledbury, Kensington
Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, Belgravia
Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, Mayfair
Le Gavroche, Mayfair
Hibiscus, Mayfair
Square, Mayfair
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Covent Garden
SCOTLAND
Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perth & Kinross
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Patrick Guilbaud, Dublin
:: ONE STAR
ENGLAND
The Samling, Ambleside, Cumbria
Michael Wignall at The Latymer, Bagshot, Surrey
Fischer’s at Baslow Hall, Baslow, Derbyshire
The Park (at Lucknam Park Hotel), Bath & North East Somerset
The Terrace (at Montagu Arms Hotel), Beaulieu, Hampshire
The Pipe and Glass Inn, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire
West House, Biddenden, Kent
Fraiche, Birkenhead, Merseyside
Purnell’s, Birmingham, West Midlands
Simpsons, Birmingham, West Midlands
Turners, Birmingham, West Midlands
Northcote, Blackburn, Lancashire
Morston Hall, Blakeney, Norfolk
Curlew, Bodiam, East Sussex
Burlington (at Devonshire Arms), Bolton Abbey, North Yorks
Lords of the Manor, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire
Royal Oak, Bray, Berks
Casamia, Bristol
Manor House, Castle Combe, Wiltshire
Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor, Cheshire
Pony & Trap, Chew Magna, Somerset
Apicius, Cranbrook, Kent
Ockenden Manor, Cuckfield, West Sussex
Sienna, Dorchester, Dorset
36 on the Quay, Emsworth, Hampshire
Read’s, Faversham, Kent
L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria
The Neptune, Hunstanton, Norfolk
Box Tree, Ilkley, West Yorkshire
Atlantic, Jersey
Bohemia (at The Club Hotel), Jersey
The Stagg Inn, Kington, Herefordshire
La Bécasse, Ludlow, Shropshire
Mr Underhill’s at Dinham Weir, Ludlow, Shropshire
Harrow at Little Bedwyn, Marlborough, Wiltshire
Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House, Marlow, Bucks
The Hand and Flowers, Marlow, Bucks
The Nut Tree, Murcott, Oxfordshire
Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Hambleton Hall, Oakham, Rutland
Yorke Arms, Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire
JSW, Petersfield, Hampshire
L’Ortolan, Shinfield, Berks
Drakes, Ripley, Surrey
Mallory Court, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Old Vicarage, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
The Masons Arms, South Molton, Devon
The Olive Branch and Beech House, Stamford, Lincs
Room in the Elephant, Torquay, Devon
Sharrow Bay Country House, Ullswater, Cumbria
Auberge du Lac, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
The Sportsman, Whitstable, Kent
Hambrough, Isle of Wight
5 North St, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire
The Black Rat, Winchester, Hampshire
Holbeck Ghyll, Windermere, Cumbria
Paris House, Woburn, Bedfordshire
LONDON
Chapter One, Bromley, Kent
Hakkasan, Bloomsbury
Club Gascon, City of London
Rhodes Twenty Four, City of London
Harwood Arms, Fulham
River Café, Fulham
La Trompette, Chiswick
St John, Clerkenwell
Rasoi, Kensington & Chelsea
Tom Aikens, Kensington & Chelsea
Kitchen W8, Kensington & Chelsea
The Glasshouse, Richmond-upon-Thames
Bingham Restaurant (at Bingham Hotel), Richmond-upon-Thames
Petersham Nurseries Café, Richmond-upon-Thames
Viajante, Tower Hamlets, Bethnal Green
Galvin La Chapelle, Tower Hamlets, Spitalfields
Chez Bruce, Wandsworth
Amaya, City of Westminster, Belgravia
Apsleys (at Lanesborough Hotel), Belgravia
Pétrus, Belgravia
Zafferano, Belgravia
Benares, Mayfair
Galvin at Windows (at Hilton Hotel), Mayfair
Greenhouse, Mayfair
Kai, Mayfair
Maze, Mayfair
Murano, Mayfair
Nobu (at The Metropolitan Hotel), Mayfair
Nobu Berkeley St, Mayfair
Semplice, Mayfair
Sketch (The Lecture Room & Library), Mayfair
Tamarind, Mayfair
Umu, Mayfair
Wild Honey, Mayfair
L’Autre Pied, Marylebone
Locanda Locatelli, Marylebone
Rhodes W1 (Restaurant), Marylebone
Texture, Marylebone
Seven Park Place (at St James’s Hotel and Club) St James’s
Arbutus, Soho
Gauthier-Soho, Soho
Yauatcha, Soho
Quilon, Victoria
SCOTLAND
Braidwoods, Dalry North, Ayrshire
Number One (at Balmoral Hotel), Edinburgh
21212, Edinburgh
Kitchin, Edinburgh
Martin Wishart, Edinburgh
Plumed Horse, Edinburgh
Sangster’s, Elie, Fife
Inverlochy Castle, Fort William, Highland
Champany Inn, Linlithgow, West Lothian
Albannach, Lochinver, Highland
Boath House, Nairn, Highland
Peat Inn, Fife
Knockinaam Lodge, Portpatrick, Dumfries & Galloway
Kinloch Lodge Isle of Skye/Sleat, Highland
WALES
The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny/Llanddewi Skirrid, Monmouthshire
Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo, Denbighshire
Ynyshir Hall, Machynlleth, Powys
Crown at Whitebrook, Monmouth/Whitebrook, Monmouthshire
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
House (at Cliff House Hotel), Ardmore, Waterford
Chapter One, Dublin
L’Ecrivain, Dublin
Thornton’s (at The Fitzwilliam Hotel), Dublin
Bon Appétit, Malahide, Dublin
Posted by Mise En Place Hospitality Recruitnment