A picture of the first-ever Michelin Guide, published in 1900 / ©Michelin
Michelin welcomed 23 new restaurants into its elite circle Monday as the Michelin Star Guide 2020 was announced for Great Britain and Ireland.
The exclusive event took place in the storied Hurlingham Club in Fulham, London, where a record number of stars were awarded in the face of serious challenges for the dining industry.
As well as the 23 restaurants to earn their first Michelin star, four joined the elite band of two-star restaurants while one was elevated from two to the ultimate level of three stars.
The highlight of this year’s announcement was The Lecture Room & Library at Sketch, London, which was the only new restaurant to move up to three-star status. Pierre Gagnaire’s fabled restaurant joins Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, Restaurant Gordon Ramsey, The Fat Duck and The Waterside Inn in the exclusive club. Meanwhile, The Araki was demoted from three stars to two.
Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin guides, said: “With three Michelin Stars, Sketch joins four other restaurants at this prestigious level. This Pierre Gagnaire restaurant won its first star in 2005 and its second in 2013. Our inspectors judge the cooking here to be wonderfully complex and highly original, with each element of the meal excelling in terms of structure, composition and, above all, flavour,”
The Oak Room at Adare Manor in Ireland was awarded one star
The Michelin Star Guide 2020 at a glance
– 1,464 restaurants in total (131 new)
– Five three-Michelin-star restaurants (One new)
– 23 two-Michelin-star restaurants (Four new)
– 159 one-Michelin-star restaurants (23 new)
Read: How the Michelin Guide Works
Three restaurants have been promoted from one to two stars, including the Elite Traveler Top 100 Restaurants entrant, La Dame de Pic. Anne-Sophie Pic, who was awarded the 2019 Chef of the Year by Elite Traveler, adds to an already world-class reputation with yet another star. The Dining Room at Whatley Manor in Malmesbury; and The Greenhouse in Dublin; were the other two restaurants elevated to two stars.
There was some ground-breaking announcements as far as one-star restaurants go. Mana became the first Manchester restaurant to win a Michelin star for over 40 years while the Lake District also earned three stars (Old Stamp House, Alium at Askham Hall and The Cottage in the Woods).
The Oak Room at Adare Manor, a Top 100 Hotel for Elite Traveler, also became the only restaurant in Limerick, Ireland, to hold a coveted Michelin star. There was more success in Ireland for Bastion in Kinsale and Variety Jones in Dublin, both receiving one star.
There were also some surprises. Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, London, failed to win a star despite being heavily tipped. Chef Tom Kerridge retains his two stars at The Hand and Flowers and his one star at The Coach but has yet to bring his London post at the Corinthia Hotel to the same level.
The Dysart Petersham was awarded one star / ©Flickr – HerryLawford
Michelin Guide 2020: New entrants
One-star
The Oak Room, Adare
Artichoke, Amersham
The Muddlers Club, Belfast
Opheem, Birmingham
Stark, Broadstairs
Variety Jones, Dublin
Condita, Edinburgh
The Tudor Room, Egham
The Angel, Hetton
Isle of Eriska, Hebrides
Pensons, Herefordshire
Bastion, Kinsale
Cottage in the Woods, Lake District
Allium at Askham Hall, Lake District
Old Stamp House, Lake District
Endo at The Rotunda, London
The Dysart Petersham, London
Mãos, London
Interlude, Lower Beeding
Mana, Manchester
Alchemilla, Nottingham
Beach House, Oxwich
The Royal Oak, Whatcote
Two-star
The Greenhouse, Dublin
Aimsir, Kildare
La Dame De Pic, London
The Dining Room at Whatley Manor
Three-star
The Lecture Room & Library, Sketch, London
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