Michelin 2010: winners and losers

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester has become the first UK restaurant since 2004 to be awarded three Michelin stars.

The London restaurant adds a fourth name to the UK’s gastronomic elite, joining Gordon Ramsay’s Royal Hospital Road flagship, Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck and Michel Roux’s The Waterside Inn.

Details from the 2010 Michelin Guide for Great Britain & Ireland were originally due to be released today, but the company was forced to bring this forward after leaked information began flooding the internet on Friday afternoon.

There was further success for London’s restaurant scene as The Ledbury became the only UK restaurant to be promoted to two star status this year. Across the UK at total of 18 new stars were awarded, including The Royal Oak in Bray, bolstering still further the Berkshire village’s reputation as a foodie Mecca.

The Michelin accolades were not just restricted to England: Wales and Scotland were awarded three new stars apiece, including The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny and 21212 in Edinburgh.

There were some big name losers too, with 13 restaurants stripped of their stars. Following the departure of chef Eric Chavot last year, The Capital lost two stars in one go, as did The Vineyard at Stockcross.

Meanwhile those losing their one star included Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, Richard Corrigan at Lindsay House and, outside London, Bath Priory in Somerset, Ballachulish House in the Scottish Highlands and Seaham Hall in County Durham.

Derek Bulmer, editor of the Michelin Guide, offered some insight into the results, saying: “Last year was clearly a difficult year for hotels and restaurants but those establishments who reacted by being more flexible and creative appear to be riding the storm.”

Declaring the UK’s hotel and restaurant scene to be “leaner and fitter” going into the new decade, Bulmer noted: “Greater emphasis is being placed on satisfying customers’ needs; diversity continues to be one of the UK’s greater strengths and the public’s interest in chefs, food and cooking shows no sign of abating.”

In line with this promising outlook, the Michelin judges awarded 28 new Bib Gourmand awards, recognising those restaurants which offer particular value for money.

Gabriel Savage, 19.01.2010