The Michelin Guide 2023 to 2024 for Great Britain and Ireland has released its full list of Michelin Star restaurants, featuring more than 140 establishments that offer top-notch meals across various cuisines.
On February 5, 2024, the famous Michelin Guide released its full list of Michelin-star restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland. The roster features over 140 entries consisting of both new names and mainstays, all of which offer a variety of cuisines and dining experiences. The culinary establishments represent both the multicultural landscape and time-old traditions that Britain and Ireland carry, presenting feasts that honor heritage while bringing something new to the table.
Besides the usual star rankings, the Michelin Guide bestowed “Green Stars” to six new restaurants, which recognizes their commitment to sustainability. It also gave out five Special Awards to outstanding individuals in the industry, like chefs, sommeliers, service staff, and bartenders. Those who wish to view the full list of winners can do so through the Michelin Guide’s official website. For a snapshot of this year’s ratings, below are a few new and luxurious entries in the list that are worth checking out:
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Delicious Newcomers
More than a dozen restaurants have just joined the Michelin Guide’s star rankings, showcasing the breadth and depth of culinary innovation over the past year:
Three Stars: The Ledbury, London
The Ledbury is the only newcomer in the three-Michelin star restaurant list for this year, and for good reason. The guide describes it as “one of the capital’s finest restaurants,” praising its top-notch ingredients. This is largely due to the close ties that its chef, Brett Graham, forms with his suppliers.
Graham even goes as far as cultivating the ingredients himself, raising deer on his own estate and growing mushrooms in an in-house cabinet. His team of highly-skilled chefs bring out the best from these quality ingredients, producing what the guide refers to as “a tasting menu that is beautifully balanced and harmonious.”
Two Stars: Opheem, Birmingham
Birmingham’s Opheem is a new entry in the two-star roster, a brainchild of homegrown talent, Aktar Islam. The chef-owner’s dynamic restaurant serves “flavorsome, excellently spiced, and carefully balanced” Indian cuisine with modern, creative twists, describes the Michelin Guide.
Guests can enjoy appetizers and snacks in a spacious bar before heading into the main dining room with its open kitchen. They can also enjoy a fine selection of wines handpicked by the resident sommelier for a complete tasting experience.
Two Stars: The Glenturret Lalique, Crieff
The Glenturret Lalique seamlessly blends luxury with comfort, both in its dinner-only cuisine and dining atmosphere. Here, guests can enjoy homey comforts like tattie scones, while also indulging in Highland Wagyu and caviar, all created under the supervision of Executive Chef Mark Donald.
The Michelin Guide describes his dishes as “sophisticated, [and] precisely crafted” with their “superb depth of flavor.” Besides being a superb restaurant, the establishment also happens to be located within The Glenturret, Scotland’s oldest working distillery. As such, guests are given a wide array of fine liquor, from top-class whiskies to wines.
One Star: D’Olier Street, Dublin
Set in the heart of a landmark building, D’Olier Street restaurant in Dublin offers a range of dishes inspired by different global influences. Quality ingredients are at the forefront of every dish, such as “prime quality, expertly seasoned cod with basil, girolles, and chicken” writes the Michelin Guide.
Guests who wish to see the team assemble the restaurant’s eye-catching dishes can take a seat by the counter before enjoying their tantalizing meals with the perfect wine pairing.
One Star: Crocadon, St Mellion
Crocadon brings the concept of farm to table to new heights, having previously won a “Green Star” from the Michelin Guide, it’s now making its debut as a one-Michelin star restaurant. The establishment is situated in Crocadon Farm, a 120-acre property that chef-owner Dan Cox spent half a decade cultivating.
The chef came to the realization that “to cook the best, he needed to first grow the best,” writes the Michelin Guide. The farm supplies a majority of the restaurant’s produce, with local suppliers handling the rest. The guide describes its cooking as “assured and original, with dishes delivering wonderfully pure flavors.”
Cox intends to not only serve mouth-watering, wholesome food but also transcend the “zero waste” principle, ensuring a circular cooking process where all organic matter is returned to the farm, giving way to new produce for the next seasons.
Green Sophistication
On the topic of sustainability, six new restaurants have received a “Green Star” from the Michelin Guide, each one paving the way for an environmentally-friendly future in the food industry. These include ANNWN in Narberth, Exmoor Forest Inn in Simonsbath, Forge in Middleton Tyas, and St.Barts in London. However two new entries carry the prestige of holding both one Michelin star ratings and now a Green Star:
Interlude, Lower Beeding
Similar to Crocadon, Interlude brings itself closer to the source, sitting within the Leonardslee Gardens where it derives most of its produce. The establishment even sources its natural sweeteners like honey and sap from its apiaries and birch trees. As for the food, tasting menus change regularly to reflect the seasons, according to the Michelin Guide. This offers an eclectic and exciting mix that never gets boring, all while promoting a decrease in food waste.
The Whitebrook, Whitebrook
The Whitebrook is another new Green Star recipient that holds a one-Michelin star rating. With the woodland backdrop of Whitebrook, the establishment provides a charming, pastoral atmosphere with sustainable harvesting systems at the heart of their delicious food.
For example, the restaurant uses “no-dig” methods in cultivating their vegetables, according to the Michelin Guide, as well as a planting system that provides a conducive environment for pollinating insects. When The Whitebrook isn’t sourcing ingredients from its estate’s farm, woods, and estuary, it gets them from like-minded local producers.
Banner photo from the Michelin Guide website.
