Michelin Guide 2015: who has earned their stars?
The Michelin Guide of Great Britain & Ireland 2015 has just been unveiled.
The newest Michelin Guide came out yesterday (Thursday 25th September), and the long wait for chefs and their teams across the country to find out if they’re in it is now over.
This year, 14 new stars were given out, and 26 new Bib Gourmands. Stars are given out to restaurants whose cooking is very good – and more importantly, consistently very good, as judged by the inspectors from Michelin.
A Bib Gourmand is given to a venue which offers “good food at moderate prices”. There’s a price limit of £28 for three courses for a restaurant to be considered for this accolade.
History of the Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide was established by André and Édouard Michelin in 1900, and a British Isles version was first published in 1911. In 1931, the three-star system was introduced, but it wasn’t until 1974 that the Guide was re-introduced into Britain after the Second World War.
Stars are awarded as follows:
- One Star: “Very good cooking in its category”
- Two Stars: “Excellent cooking, worth a detour”
- Three Stars: “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”
Who’s moving up in the world?
There are four UK restaurants with three stars in the Guide. The first two are both in Bray, Berkshire: The Waterside Inn (Alain Roux) and the Fat Duck (Heston Blumenthal). The other two are in London: the eponymous Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester. All four have held three-star ratings for some time.
There has been no change in the two-star holders either.
The 14 newly one-starred establishments include Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen in Cornwall, and half-a-dozen locations in London: Barrafina, Gymkhana, Fera at Claridge’s, Clove Club, City Social and Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs.
In Wales, there were stars for Ynyshir Hall in Powys and the Crown at Whitebrook in Monmouthshire. Therw was also success for two remoter Scottish restaurants: the Isle of Eriska, located on the island of the same name; and The Three Chimneys on the Isle of Skye.
There were also one star awards for three English pubs: The Star Inn in Helmsley, North Yorkshire; the Cross at Kenilworth in Warwickshire; and the Treby Arms in Sparkwell, Devon. Gastropubs appear to be having a lot of success right now, as chef Tom Kerridge observed in our recent interview. His gastropub The Hand & Flowers has retained its two-star rating.
“The 14 new stars highlight the enormous richness and variety of the UK’s restaurant scene,” said Rebecca Burr, editor of the Michelin Guide. “They range from country pubs to hipster hangouts, from counter restaurants to classic dining rooms.”
Demoted
Two Scottish and seven English establishments lost their stars due to the judges ruling the quality had dropped, with a further five ‘losing’ theirs due to closure.
Historical rankings
If you’re interested in seeing how stars have been allocated in the past and to understand which venues have lost or gained stars, take a look at this history of Great Britain & Ireland’s stars.
Do you think that the Michelin Star system is reliable? Have you visited a restaurant which one or more stars? Let us know about your experiences in the Comments below.
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