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New Michelin Stars Announced for Britain's Restaurants

NEW YORK, January 25, 2010 -- It’s not all fish and chips in Britain. But foodies have known that for years. VisitBritain, the national tourist board for England, Scotland and Wales, highlights some of the restaurants honored with Michelin stars in the new edition of The Michelin Guide to the UK and Ireland 2010, announced last week. England, Scotland and Wales now boast a total of 133 stars, with four restaurants receiving the maximum three stars, and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester getting his third star. There are also 21 new Bib Gourmands for the UK, the rating for “good food at moderate prices.”

England
England, including London, gets 11 new starred restaurants. Outside of London, Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck and Michel Roux’s The Waterside Inn, both in Bray, have the coveted three star awards. Just a few miles from Bray, The Royal Oak at Paley Street, a pub restaurant owned by chat show host Michael Parkinson and his son, received its first star. There are also new Michelin stars for The Samling in Cumbria, The Goose in Britwell Salome, Oxfordshire and Sienna in Dorchester, Dorset. Yorkshire has a total of six for the county, including one new Michelin star for The Pipe and Glass Inn, South Dalton, near Beverley, as well as nine Bib Gourmands, including two new ones for Whites in Beverley and Piazza by Anthony -- plus a Rising Star for The Black Swan in Helmsley.

London
London – and The Dorchester Hotel - is celebrating a new three star rating. Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester has moved up from two stars last year. Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in Chelsea also has the top accolade of three stars. In London, those awarded a new Michelin star include the restaurant at The Bingham Hotel in Richmond; Galvin at Windows on the top floor of the London Hilton on Park Lane; the Indian restaurant Tamarind; and Texture, run by an Icelandic/French partnership. Another winner is Australian chef Brett Graham, with a second star for The Ledbury in Notting Hill. Graham also helped set up The Harwood Arms in Fulham, which has just won its first star. The capital also has several Bib Gourmands, including the well-reviewed, new London restaurants Bocca di Lupo, Terroirs and Bar Trattoria Semplice.

Scotland
Scotland gets three new starred restaurants and the capital of Edinburgh now boasts five Michelin-starred restaurants. Edinburgh gets a new star for 21212, run by Paul Kitching, who previously cooked at Juniper, in Greater Manchester. Not to be confused with Tom Kitchin, who already holds a Michelin star for his restaurant, The Kitchin, also in Edinburgh. The other two new Scottish stars go to The Peat Inn, in Fife, and Kinloch Lodge, on the Isle of Skye.

Wales
Wales now has four starred restaurants, up from just one last year. In Wales, stars were awarded to Tyddyn Llan at Llandrillo; Ynyshir Hall, in Powys; and The Walnut Tree, near Abergavenny – given a new lease of life under Shaun Hill, who put Ludlow on the map when he opened the Merchant House there.

For more information on planning a vacation to Britain, go to: www.visitbritain.us.