Miles Collins

This years winners and losers….

Friday 25th saw the release of the 2008 Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland. The single most anticipated restaurant guide in the world, bar none.

There was some considerable expectation in the chef world as to who might achieve the illustrious three stars and, God forbid who might lose them. London is always the centre of attention, what goes on there generally influences what the rest of us do in the provinces and gives the paying public an idea of what restaurant food is going to be like for the next year or so.

Are there any new three michelin starred restaurants in England? No. Many thought Le Champignon Sauvage might do it but I wasn’t so sure. I love the food Chef Matthias cooks but I don’t think the overall experience is grand enough for michelin to give it three stars.

Gordon Ramsay keeps his three stars but his overall total slips further behind Alain Ducasse as his restaurants at the Savoy Grill and Angela Hartnett closed late last year.

I was suprised to see Tom Aikens not win a second star, michelin have tipped him as a future two star as they have with Hibiscus who lost one star by moving to the capital!

Winteringham Fields in Lincolnshire, the one time two michelin star restaurant of Germain and Annie Schwab have lost their only remaining star. Germaine’s departure meant they lost a star and with their young Head Chef, Robert Thompson leaving for Waldo’s at the Cliveden they are stripped of the other one. The pressure is certainly upon them now to get it back and maintain their status as a destination restaurant, I predict difficult times ahead.

With Thompson going to Waldo’s this means that Waldo’s has also lost their only star, I think this is a bit harsh as they know Thompson is going to maintain a quality restaurant but these things happen!

Gary Rhodes has won a star, the Devonshire Arms in Yorkshire has lost one as has Gilpin Lodge in Cumbria and Conran’s old place, The Orrery in London. 

So in closing, a bit of an anti-climax really. I thought Gordon Ramsay at Maze would get two stars and possibly Petrus for three. Ramsay at Claridges remains at one and from comments I have received from diners experiences they are fortunate (or politically savvy) to hold on to it.

London has some fantastic restaurants, no doubt about it but the restaurant scene here will need to keep re-inventing itself or face losing ground to New York and Tokyo for the title of food capital of the world.