Tuesday 18 January 2011

Michelin Meandering


January is that time of the year when Chefs across the finer restaurants in the country hold their collective breaths in the hope that their hard work and wallet is rewarded by the gift of a Michelin Star. Yes, the stars were announced today and whilst they maintained some level of tension by managing not to accidentally leak the details as happened last year, the result was ultimately lacking any heavyweight changes. Whilst pundits had highlighted Marcus Wareing and Le Gavroche for a possible third and both Anima and Koffman for a single star, there were no new three star establishments. New one star additions included Kitchen W8, Petersham Nurseries Café, Viajante, Galvin La Chapelle, Petrus, Seven Park Place and Gauthier in London. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught and Restaurant Nathan Outlaw both received a second star.

So perhaps we will have more to look forward in 2012 which, who knows, may include Heston Blumenthal’s new Bistro (Now only days away from opening) and Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social amongst them.

And if you are in search of a silver lining for this culinary deflated souffle of an award event, with so few changes, you won’t need to replace your 2010 editions.

A full List of starred establishments is below.

ENGLAND

The Samling
Michael Wignall at The Latymer (at Pennyhill Park Hotel)
Fischer’s at Baslow Hall
The Park (at Lucknam Park Hotel)
The Terrace (at Montagu Arms Hotel)
The Pipe and Glass Inn
West House
Fraiche
Purnell’s
Simpsons
Turners
Northcote
Morston Hall
Curlew
Burlington (at Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel)
Lords of the Manor
Royal Oak
Casamia
Manor House H. and Golf Club
Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor
Pony & Trap
Apicius
Ockenden Manor
Sienna
36 on the Quay
Read’s
L’Enclume
The Neptune
Box Tree
Atlantic
Bohemia (at The Club Hotel and Spa)
The Stagg Inn
La Bécasse
Mr Underhill’s at Dinham Weir
Harrow at Little Bedwyn
Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House
The Hand and Flowers
The Nut Tree
Restaurant Sat Bains
Hambleton Hall
Yorke Arms
JSW
L’Ortolan
Drakes
Mallory Court
Old Vicarage
The Masons Arms
The Olive Branch and Beech House
Room in the Elephant
Sharrow Bay Country House
Auberge du Lac
The Sportsman
Hambrough
5 North St
The Black Rat
Holbeck Ghyll
Paris House

SCOTLAND

Braidwoods
Number One (at Balmoral Hotel)
21212
Kitchin
Martin Wishart
Plumed Horse
Sangster’s
Inverlochy Castle
Champany Inn
Albannach
Boath House
Peat Inn
Knockinaam Lodge
Kinloch Lodge
The Walnut Tree
Tyddyn Llan
Ynyshir Hall
Crown at Whitebrook
House (at Cliff House Hotel)
Chapter One
L’Ecrivain
Thornton’s (at The Fitzwilliam Hotel)
Bon Appétit

LONDON
Chapter One
Hakkasan
Club Gascon
Rhodes Twenty Four
Harwood Arms
River Café
La Trompette
St John
Rasoi
Tom Aikens
Kitchen W8
The Glasshouse
Bingham Restaurant (at Bingham Hotel)
Petersham Nurseries Café
Viajante
Galvin La Chapelle
Chez Bruce
Amaya
Apsleys (at Lanesborough Hotel)
Pétrus
Zafferano
Benares
Galvin at Windows (at London Hilton Hotel)
Greenhouse
Kai
Maze
Murano
Nobu (at The Metropolitan Hotel)
Nobu Berkeley St
Semplice
Sketch (The Lecture Room & Library)
Tamarind
Umu
Wild Honey
L’Autre Pied
Locanda Locatelli
Rhodes W1(Restaurant)
Texture
Seven Park Place (at St James's Hotel and Club)
Arbutus
Gauthier-Soho
Yauatcha
Quilon

2 STAR

Midsummer House
Gidleigh Park
Le Champignon Sauvage
Whatley Manor
Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons
Restaurant Nathan Outlaw

SCOTLAND
Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Patrick Guilbaud

LONDON
Pied à Terre
The Ledbury
Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley
Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
Le Gavroche
Hibiscus
Square
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

3 STAR

ENGLAND
Fat Duck
Waterside Inn

LONDON
Gordon Ramsay
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester

Sunday 16 January 2011

Hugh's Fish Fight

I finally caught up on the weeks viewing and watched Hughs fish fight today. I thought I was up to speed on discard policy, CFP and the tangle of competing interests that result in what feels like an inevitable failure of our global attempts to manage fish stocks. Seeing some of the impact on television troubled me deeply though.

It is clear that the current policy needs to change and that the public is the best tool to do it. Here's my promise. My next three fish meals will not be cod, haddock or plaice and I will use the most effective short term vote I have, my spending power and food choices, to make a contribution. In the meantime I've added a widget for the duration of the campaign. I know not many people read this blog, but for those that do, I urge you to check it out for yourself and decide what you can do to help.