Best Restaurants in UK and Ireland
New Michelin Britain and Ireland Restaurant Guide 2008 is Published
Feb 20, 2008
Read a review of the 2009 edition of the Michelin Guide to Britain and Ireland
The 2008 edition of the famous red Michelin Guide lists 4500 of the best restaurants, hotels, gastropubs and guesthouses in Great Britain and Ireland. It covers every budget from friendly family b&bs to luxury hotels, from the best of pub grub for those on a budget, to the finest Michelin-starred restaurants throughout the British Isles.
No matter how many people might say it doesn't matter, the arrival of the annual Michelin Guide is always an event. Everyone in the restaurant and hotel trade wants to know who's in and who's out, who has got the ultimate dining accolade of three Michelin stars, and which newcomers have arrived on the scene and been awarded Michelin's seal of approval.
So what are the best restaurants in Britain and Ireland, according to the Michelin inspectors? Which dining establishments proved themselves to have 3 Michelin Star consistency in 2007, and so should be on everyone's wish list to eat at in 2008? Well, no surprises this year, as the top British chefs are all still there. The three 3-star stars are:
- The Fat Duck at Bray-on-Thames, under Heston Blumenthal
- The Waterside Inn at Bray-on-Thames, under Alain Roux
- Gordon Ramsay in London, under Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay is often criticised for being more of a media star these days than a chef, and spending more time on TV than in the kitchen, but those who are keen to see his standards slipping will have to wait another year. Ramsay shows he can still produce the goods, making him yet again the chef behind London's best restaurant.
The 2 Michelin star establishments are also remaining consistent this year. There are twelve listed, with ten of them being in England (five of those in London, and one each in Scotland and Ireland. The 2-star restaurants this time are:
ENGLAND
- Midsummer House, Cambridge
- Gidleigh Park, Chagford
- Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham
- Le Gavroche, London
- Pied à Terre, London
- Pétrus, London
- The Capital Restaurant, London
- The Square, London
- Vineyard, Newbury
- Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Great Milton near Oxford
SCOTLAND
- Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Auchterarder
IRELAND
- Patrick Guilbaud, Dublin
The culinary capital of the British Isles remains London, not surprisingly, with a further 39 1-star restaurants, compared to three for Edinburgh (Martin Wishart, Number One and The Kitchin), one for Belfast (Deanes), four for Dublin (Chapter One, L'Ecrivain, Mint and Thornton's) with Bon Appetit nearby in Malahide. Poor old Cardiff fails with Monsieur Michelin, and indeed in the whole of Wales there are only two that merit one Michelin star each: The Crown at Whitebrook in Monmouth and Plas Bodegroes in Pwllheli.
The Michelin Guide is more than merely a list of best restaurants, of course. In over 1200 pages there are over 4500 different hotels and restaurants, all recommended and with directions, prices and other details, as well as excellent driving maps of the whole of Great Britain and Ireland, and detailed plans of 120 of the major cities and towns with every establishment marked. Thoroughly recommended.
The Great Britain and Ireland 2008 Michelin Guide costs £15.99. Check out the Michelin website.
