Michelin Guide for Britain reveals best new places to eat in UK from swanky restaurants to country pubs and 21 eateries get first star
Gordon Ramsay's self-named restaurant has also retained its three Michelin stars
FROM humble country pubs to swanky city restaurants, the Michelin Guide 2019 for Great Britain and Ireland reveals the best new places to eat.
This year 21 eateries were awarded a single star for the first time while there were three new two-star restaurants.
Three English pubs made the coveted list among the glitz and glamour of upscale London restaurants.
This year’s eateries are some of the most eye-catching as they are located all over the country from Kent to Cumbria and beyond to Cork in the Republic of Ireland.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s self-named restaurant retained its three Michelin stars for the 17th year in a row.
Here are the best new places to eat:
Fordwich Arms, Canterbury/Fordwich, Kent
This refurbished pub and restaurant is nestled in Britain's smallest town and has a 1930’s bar and oak panelled dining room with three open fires.
Chef-patron Daniel Smith was recently awarded Observer’s Young Chef of the Year for his seasonal menu.
The menu showcases the best of Kentish ingredients that are sourced directly from local farms and producers.
The Olive Tree, Bath
The Olive Tree is in the heart of the West Country and their food is locally sourced to create their seasonal British menu with Mediterranean influences.
It is one of Bath’s longest established independent restaurants.
Head chef Chris Cleghorn creates his own unique style to showcase the best of Bath and the best of British cuisine.
Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon
This award-winning restaurant sits on the very edge of Dartmoor National Park on the upper reaches of the River Teign.
The intimate dining area has magnificent views across the hotel’s stunning gardens.
Executive chef Chris Simpson focuses on creating unique dishes full of flavour.
Hide, Mayfair, London
Hide sits in West London over three floors and boasts views across Green Park.
The restaurant and bar by Hedonism Wines and Ollie Dabbous is open every day from early to late, giving customers a chance to watch either the sunrise of sunset over Piccadilly.
The owners of Hide said on their website: “Hide is for everyone and every occasion: whether a light dinner after work or a grand celebration in one of our private dining rooms."
Brat, Shoreditch, London
Nestled in the hipster part of East London, Brat serves meat, whole fish and small plates that are cooked on a wood-fired grill.
It is described to have a strong Basque influence with “rustic Spanish” flavours.
Highlights of the menu include Smoked Cod’s Roe and the Wild Rabbit, Blood Sausage and Beans.
Leroy, Shoreditch, London
Another East End restaurant, Leroy opened this year as a wine bar and restaurant from Sommeliers Ed Thaw and Jack Lewens and chef Sam Kamienko.
This is the same team that from the Michelin-starred Ellroy and say: “We aim for simplicity and flavour.
"Food that is thoughtful but not showy.”
They describe Leroy on their website as “a place to stop in for a glass or to share several plates of food, charcuterie, cheese and crudo with a bottle or two of wine. Anything from the classics to the crazy.”
Sabor, Mayfair, London
Founded by Nieves Barragan and José Etura, this West London restaurant means flavour in Spanish.
Sabor incorporates tapas-style plates from Andalucía and the seafood of Galicia.
Each section of the restaurant, The Counter and bar on the ground floor and the El Asador on the first floor, provides a different experience of Spanish cuisine.
Rognanic, Regent’s Park & Marylebone, London
Rognanic opened in 2011 as a pop-up and is now permanently open in West London.
The chef Simon Rogan brought elements from his two Michelin star restaurant in the Lake District to the capital.
The food is described as modern British and “using only the freshest and most exceptional array of produce”.
Ikoyi, St James’s, London
This West London eatery puts a modern twist on authentic West African flavours.
Ikoyi fosters a warm and welcoming environment .
Their website says: “Ikoyi creates its own innovative cuisine based on the interpretation of West African ingredients. We combine bold heat and umami with the highest quality products in a warm and welcoming environment.”
Bulrush, Bristol
Chef George Livesey converted the restaurant from former greengrocers and its reputation has only grown since then.
Inspectors from the Michelin Guide have praised Bulrush’s “wonderfully moreish truffle ice cream, croissant mousse and caramel apples” dessert.
Rogan & Co, Cartmel, Cumbria
This is the sister to L’Enclume and it offers a casual dining experience.
The menu is made up of home-grown ingredients that are locally grown.
The creativity in the menu has been hailed as exceptionally Cumbrian.
Sorrel, Dorking, Surrey
The 300-year-old Grade II listed building sits in a beautiful setting on Dorking’s South Street.
A popular dish is the fall-apart beef cheek dish with citric blood orange topped with a couple of salty samphire stalks.
Head chef Steve Drake worked in some of Europe’s best kitchens bringing his experience and expertise into Sorrel’s exquisite menu.
White Swan, Fence, Lancashire
This local pub serves not just food but Timothy Taylors award-winning real ales and wines.
The website says: “With our small seasonal menu you know immediately that the ingredients are fresh and well chosen.
“Our menu changes regularly and it takes a great deal of knowledge, experience and focus to create food that while delighting in its simplicity, is also highly accomplished & beautifully done.”
Tim Allen's Flitch of Bacon, Little Dunmow, Essex
This modern British Inn is not just a place to eat and drink, but also to sleep.
The Flitch of Bacon is in the heart of the Essex countryside giving customers a relaxed setting.
It serves locally sources, seasonal food made by head chef Tim Allen.
Blackbird, Newbury, West Berkshire
Located in the lovely village of Bangor, this family run restaurant and public house cooks its food with quality ingredients.
The head chef Dom Robinson incorporates his French classical background within the very British environment.
He says he strives for “a classic British pub that is very much part of the community”.
Oxford Kitchen, Oxford
This all-day restaurant offers imaginative cocktails and up-to-date dishes in a stylish and contemporary setting.
Oxford offers a classic set menu of the option to dine à la carte.
The head chef Paul Welburn has years of Michelin star cooking experience.
Salt, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Chef Paul Foster opened this restaurant after a crowd-funding campaign.
The menu includes English dishes such as cod, seared to golden on top of frothy, lawn-green parsley sauce blitzed through with oyster.
Winteringham Fields, Winteringham, North Lincolnshire
Winteringham Fields has become known as the area’s best homegrown restaurants.
Its website says: “People travel great distances to get here, but the food never does. Whether it's leaping fresh from the salted sea, grown in the earth of our humble farm, or reared on the fields of local purveyors, our food is rooted in local nature.
“To these raw, fresh ingredients, Colin McGurran and his masterful chefs devote their time, ingenuity and rare talent to create something new every season.”
Chestnut, Ballydehob, Cork
This intimate 18-seater restaurant is set in a former character-filled pub in Ballydehob.
The menu is described as evolving around the seasons’ best ingredients.
The head chef is Cork local Rob Krawczyk.
Mews, Baltimore, Cork
Mews explores Irish cuisine through the ingredients of West Cork.
It says: “We serve a Tasting Menu based on the best produce around us; changing as the ingredients change. We proudly support West Cork small farmers, market-gardeners, foragers and local fishermen by sourcing directly from them.
“We take our inspiration from those that have come before us; the landscape around us; our peers at home and abroad.”
Ichigo Ichie, Cork
This Japanese restaurant only seats 25 customers at one time.
Chef Miyazaki performs his kaiseki multi-course tasting menu that are elaborate and represent the seasons.
The new two-star entries:
Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs, Bloomsbury, London
The small dining room of 20 was awarded its first Michelin star in 2014 and has earned it second one.
This West London restaurant has the chefs cook infront of guests to encourage full interaction.
The tasting menu is £125 per person.
Core by Clare Smyth, North Kensington, London
This formal and elegant fine dining restaurant sources its food from the UK’s most dedicated farmers and food producers.
Core puts emphasis on natural and sustainable food.
This the debut restaurant by Clare Smyth, who is the first and only female chef with three Michelin stars in the UK.
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