Michelin star awards 2024: Plenty to celebrate... and feel disappointed by
There was lots to celebrate at the Michelin awards last night, but with only nine people of colour and one female winner, Hannah Twiggs asks: will the guide ever reflect what it means to be a truly good restaurant?
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Your support makes all the difference.Another year, another addition to the lofty Michelin Guide.
Hosted in Manchester’s suitably grand Midland Hotel, the guide announced 31 new ratings for 2024, including its ninth third star – the first in two years – and six new sustainability-focused green stars, as well as 20 new Bib Gourmands, highlighting great food at moderate prices, which were announced last week.
Whether you were clapping (slowly or otherwise), rolling your eyes or, as one fellow food writer told me, “screaming at the TV” as the awards were announced, it can’t be denied that after 124 years, it remains the most important food guide in the world. That’s not to say that every chef covets a star, nor that those without aren’t any good: a restaurant can be perfectly fantastic without one, and just as mediocre with.
The criteria have changed innumerably over the past century and in fact still remain deliberately vague. Indeed, you could argue that the industry used to follow the awards not unlike a little lost puppy, begging for scraps; now, it seems, the guide is steered more by the movements of the industry… that is to cheaper, arguably better places outside of London.
Gossip abounds, naturally, and most of it should be ignored. Instead, I’d recommend keeping Michelin’s founding principles, published in 1936, in mind when considering the list of awards below: one star for a “very good restaurant in its category”, two stars for “excellent cooking, worth a detour”, three for “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”.
The most exciting news of the night was undoubtedly the stars awarded to Aji Akokomi’s Akoko in Fitzrovia and Adejoké “Joké” Bakare’s Chishuru in Soho, two of the most talked about new openings in recent years and the first two West African restaurants to make the cut in the UK. That also makes Bakare the first black female Michelin-starred chef. There’s only one other African restaurant on the list, Ikoyi, though it prefers to bill itself as “Creative” cuisine.
Elsewhere, there were some predictable, some well-deserved one stars handed out, such as (beloved of the food gods and hipsters alike) Brat’s Tomos Parry’s hyped 2023 opening Mountain; 1890 by Gordon Ramsay, one of three restaurants he helms in the Savoy; Dorian, Notting Hill’s answer to River Cafe; and, outside of London, Simon Rogan alumnus Dan Cox’s Crocadon, down in Cornwall. The two stars tentatively reached slightly further afield, with Terre in Ireland and The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant in Scotland, though this category, too, was geared predominantly towards London. Notably, though, Opheem in Birmingham and Gymkhana in Mayfair became the first Indian restaurants to be awarded two stars (there are five Indian restaurants in London with one).
And, for the first time in two years, the guide handed out the coveted third star, to… dun, dun dun… The Ledbury in Notting Hill, whose cuisine can only be described as “tasting menu”. That it’s only been 12 months since it regained its second star, having lost them while closed during the pandemic, should either be considered a great triumph or a curious surprise. At any rate, for co-owner Brett Graham, becoming the first Aussie chef to win three stars (there’s no Michelin guide in his home country) is something to brag about.
With one hand the guide giveth, and with the other it taketh away. As is tradition, restaurants that close or move are removed from the edition. This year, that includes Michel Roux’s Le Gavroche, The Raby Hunt in Darlington, and Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, among others. But, in an unanticipated blow for Tao Group Hospitality, both Hakkasan locations in London, in Mayfair and Hanway Place, were stripped of their stars, having held them for 12 and 20 years respectively. Barrafina Dean Street, one of five spots in London, and Peter Sanchez-Igelsias’s Paco Tapas in Bristol, were also struck off, for reasons unknown. Michelin makes a habit of moving in mysterious ways.
So what have we learnt? Whisperings of a mutiny to dethrone London as the food capital of the country after the city was awarded only six of the 23 stars in last year’s guide have been somewhat squashed by this year’s 18 - the lion’s share. Although dishing out only two of the 20 Bibs to London and one of the green stars shows that even Michelin thinks the city is no longer affordable nor sustainable. Not good news for any upcoming chefs hoping to tap the scene. I’d like to say that traditional (read: kind of boring) French techniques are on the out alongside the male white chefs that seem to love them so much: there were nine people of colour on this year’s list, compared to just two last year. But that would mean I’d also have to celebrate the one female chef that won a star this year because it’s an improvement on last year’s solid zero. I suppose we should be grateful for any at all.
The conclusion is, as ever, a mixed bag. A definite cause for celebration here, a probable yawn there. Whether we like it or not, it’s the highest accolade for chefs, and worthy of celebration, but it’s not the only mark of a truly great restaurant, and it never will be.
New Michelin stars for 2024
New three stars
The Ledbury, Notting Hill, London
New two stars
Gymkhana, Mayfair, London
Brooklands, Belgravia, London
Terre, Castlemartyr, Ireland
The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Crieff, Scotland
Trivet, Bermondsey, London
Opheem, Birmingham, West Midlands
New one stars
Restaurant Myse, Hovingham, York
Mountain, Soho, London
1890 by Gordon Ramsay, The Strand, London
Cedar Tree, Brampton, Cumbria
Pavyllon, Mayfair, London
The Bishop’s Buttery, Cashel, Ireland
Dorian, Notting Hill, London
Humo, Mayfair, London
Crocadon, Saltash, Cornwall
Homestead Cottage, Doolin, Ireland
Akoko, Farringdon, London
Lake Road Kitchen, Ambleside , Cumbria
Sushi Kanesaka, Mayfair, London
Humble Chicken, Soho, London
D’Olier Street, Dublin, Ireland
Ormer Mayfair, Mayfair, London
Aulis, Soho, London
Chishuru, Soho, London
New green stars
ANNWN, Narberth, Wales
Exmoor Forest Inn, Simonsbath, England
Forge, Middleton Tyas, Yorkshire
Interlude, Lower Beeding, England
St Barts, London
The Whitebrook, Whitebrook, Wales
New Bib Gourmands
tipo, Edinburgh, Scotland
Touring Club, Penarth, Wales
The Three Horseshoes, Fordham, England
The Reindeer, Hoveringham, England
The Loch & The Tyne, Old Windsor, England
The Mulberry, Falmouth, England
The Clifton, Bristol, England
The Bull, Charlbury, England
Solas, Dingle, Ireland
Palmito, Brighton and Hove, England
Les 2 Garçons, London, England
Lottie’s, Dublin, Ireland
La Gordita, Dublin, Ireland
Lark, Bury St Edmunds, England
Ichigo Ichie Bistro & Natural Wine, Cork, Ireland
Home, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Higher Ground, Manchester, England
Empire Empire, London, England
Dill, Lewes, England
Amy Austin, Dublin, Ireland
The full list of Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK
Three stars
Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, Mayfair, London
The Waterside Inn, Bray, Berkshire
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Chelsea, London
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Mayfair, London
The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire
Sketch (The Lecture Room & Library), Mayfair, London
Core by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill, London
L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria
The Ledbury, Notting Hill, London – NEW
Two stars
England
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
Midsummer House , Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Bibendum, Chelsea, London
Dinner by Heston, Knightsbridge, London
A Wong, Pimlico, London
The Hand and Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs, Fitzrovia, London
Moor Hall, Ormskirk, Lancashire
La Dame de Pic, City of London, London
Da Terra, Bethnal Green, London
Restaurant Story, Southwark, London
Ikoyi, St James’s, London
The Clove Club, Shoreditch, London
Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal, Mayfair, London
Gymkhana, Mayfair, London – NEW
Brooklands, Belgravia, London – NEW
Trivet, Bermondsey, London – NEW
Opheem, Birmingham, West Midlands – NEW
Scotland
Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Perthshire, Scotland
The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Crieff, Scotland – NEW
Ireland
Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Dublin, Ireland
Chapter One, Dublin, Ireland
Liath, Blackrock, Ireland
Dede, Cork, Ireland
Wales
Ynyshir, Machynlleth, Powys
Terre, Castlemartyr, Ireland – NEW
One stars
England
Northcote, Langho, Lancashire
Portland, Fitzrovia, London
Gravetye Manor, East Grinstead, West Sussex
The Elephant, Torquay, Devon
Club Gascon, Smithfield, London
Paul Ainsworth at Number 6, Padstow, Cornwall
Bohemia, St Helier, Jersey
The Masons Arms, Knowstone, Devon
The Cross at Kenilworth, Kenilworth, Warwickshire
Simpsons, Edgbaston, Birmingham
Galvin La Chapelle, Spitalfields, London
Hambleton Hall, Oakham, Rutland
Morston Hall, Holt, Norfolk
The Goring, Belgravia, London
The Neptune, Hunstanton, Norfolk
Adam’s, Birmingham, West Midlands
The Pipe and Glass Inn, Beverley, Yorkshire
Trinity, Clapham, London
Barrafina, Soho, London
Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, Port Isaac, Cornwall
Elystan Street, Chelsea, London
Lympstone Manor, Lympstone, Devon
Rogan & Co, Cartmel, Cumbria
Sorrel, Dorking, Surrey
Winteringham Fields, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire
Marcus, Knightsbridge, London
Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Angler, City of London, London
The Hind’s Head, Bray, Berkshire
The Ninth, Fitzrovia, London
Hide, Piccadilly, London
Kitchen W8, Kensington, London
The Black Swan at Oldstead, Oldstead, North Yorkshire
Artichoke, Amersham, Buckinghamshire
Harwood Arms, Fulham, London
River Cafe, Hammersmith, London
La Trompette, Chiswick, London
St. John, Clerkenwell, London
Chez Bruce, Wandsworth, London
Amaya Belgravia, Belgravia, London
Pétrus, Belgravia, London
Kai, Mayfair, London
Murano, Mayfair, London
Pollen Street Social, Mayfair, London
Locanda Locatelli, Marylebone, London
Quilon, Victoria, London
Trishna, Marylebone, London
City Social, City of London, London
Nut Tree Inn, Murcott, Oxfordshire
The Sportsman, Whitstable, Kent
Restaurant Hywel Jones by Lucknam Park, Chippenham, Wiltshire
Purnell’s, Birmingham, West Midlands
John’s House, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire
Lyle’s, Shoreditch, London
House of Tides, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear
Forest Side, Grasmere, Cumbria
Source, Windermere, Cumbria
Five Fields, Chelsea, London
Ritz Restaurant, St James’s, London
Veeraswamy, Regent Street, London
Pied a Terre, Bloomsbury, London
Woven by Adam Smith, Ascot, Berkshire
The Coach, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
The Bybrook at The Manor, Chippenham, Wiltshire
Brat, Hackney, London
Sabor, Mayfair, London
Olive Tree, Bath, Somerset
The Fordwich Arms, Canterbury, Kent
White Swan, Fence, Lancashire
Bulrush, Cotham, Bristol
Alchemilla, Nottingham, East Midlands
Stark, Broadstairs, Kent
The Dysart Petersham, Richmond, London
The Cottage in the Wood, Braithwaite, Cumbria
Allium at Askham Hall, Askham, Cumbria
Old Stamp House, Ambleside, Cumbria
Mana, Ancoats, Manchester
The Angel at Hetton, Hetton, Yorkshire
Endo at the Rotunda, White City, London
The Royal Oak, Whatcote, Warwickshire
Interlude, Lower Beedham, Sussex
The Muddlers Club, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Variety Jones, Dublin, Ireland
Restaurant Fraiche, Birkenhead, Merseyside
Muse, Belgravia, London
Osip, Bruton, Somerset
Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, Ripon, Yorkshire
The Latymer, Bagshot, Surrey
Hide and Fox, Hythe, Kent
Behind, London Fields, London
Roots, York, Yorkshire
Hjem, Wall, Northumberland
Cornerstone, Hackney Wick, London
Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac, Cornwall
Benares, Mayfair, London
Casa Fofo, Clapton, London
Pea Porridge, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Sola, Soho, London
Umu, Mayfair, London
Evelyn’s Table, Soho, London
Wild Honey St James, St James, London
The Barn at Moor Hall, Aughton Lancashire
Jamavar, Mayfair, London
Meadowsweet, Holt, Norfolk
Frog by Adam Handling, Covent Garden, London
Kol, Marylebone, London
The Bridge Arms, Canterbury, Kent
Upstairs by Tom Shepherd, Lichfield, West Midlands
The Dog and Gun, Skelton, Cumbria
Sollip, Southwark, London
Restaurant Pine, East Wallhouses, Northumberland
The Star Inn at Harome, Yorkshire, Harome
The Dining Room at Whatley Manor, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
Pentonbridge Inn, Penton, Carlisle
The Tudor Pass, Egham, London
Sō–Lō, Aughton, West Lancashire
The Samling , Windermere , Cumbria
Gidleigh Park, Newton Abbot, Devon
Grace & Savour, Solihull, West Midlands
Restaurant Twenty-Two, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Ben Wilkinson at The Pass , South Lodge, West Sussex
Lumière, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Luca, Farringdon, London
Store, Stoke Holy Cross, Norfolk
Àclèaf, Plymouth, Devon
Cycene, Shoreditch, London
Heft, High Newton, Cumbria
Solstice by Kenny Atkinson, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear
Taku, Mayfair, London
St. Barts, Smithfield, London
Restaurant Myse, Hovingham, York – NEW
Mountain, Soho, London – NEW
1890 by Gordon Ramsay, The Strand, London – NEW
Cedar Tree, Brampton, Cumbria – NEW
Pavyllon, Westminster, London – NEW
Dorian, Notting Hill, London – NEW
Humo, Mayfair, London – NEW
Crocadon, Saltash, Cornwall – NEW
Akoko, Farringdon, London – NEW
Lake Road Kitchen, Ambleside , Cumbria – NEW
Sushi Kanesaka, Mayfair, London – NEW
Humble Chicken, Soho, London – NEW
Ormer Mayfair, Mayfair, London – NEW
Aulis, Soho, London – NEW
Chishuru, Soho, London – NEW
Scotland
The Kitchin, Edinburgh, Scotland
The Peat Inn, St Andrews, Scotland
Loch Bay, Stein, Isle of Skye
Condita, Edinburgh, Scotland
Cail Bruich, Glasgow, Scotland
Unalome by Graeme Cheevers, Finnieston, Glasgow
Timberyard, Edinburgh, Scotland
Heron, Edinburgh, Scotland
Restaurant Martin Wishart, Leith, Edinburgh
Ireland
House (at Cliff House Hotel), Ardmore, Ireland
Aniar, Galway, Ireland
Lady Helen at Mount Juliet Hotel, Thomastown, Ireland
Campagne, Kilkenny, Ireland
Ichigo Ichie, Cork, County Cork
Chestnut, Ballydehob, County Cork
Wild Honey Inn, Lisdoonvarna, County Clare
The Oak Room, Adare, Limerick
Bastion, Kinsale, Cork
Bastible, Dublin, Ireland
Glovers Alley, Dublin, Ireland
Homestead Cottage, Doolin, Ireland – NEW
D’Olier Street, Dublin, Ireland – NEW
The Bishop’s Buttery, Cashel, Ireland – NEW
Northern Ireland
Ox Belfast, Belfast, Country Antrim
Wales
The Whitebrook, Monmouthshire, Wales
Sosban and The Old Butchers, Anglesey, Wales
Beach House, Oxwich, Glamorganshire
Home at Penarth, Penarth, Wales
The Walnut Tree Inn, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
Green stars
England
Angela’s, Margate
Apricity, London
Black Swan, Oldstead
CHAPTERS, Hay-on-Wye
Coombeshead Farm, Lewannick
Crocadon, St Mellion
CULTURE, Falmouth
Daylesford Organic Farm, Daylesford
Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton
(Inside the Michelin-recommended Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons)
L’Enclume, Cartmel
Marle, Heckfield
Moor Hall, Aughton
Oak, Bath
Osip, Bruton
Petersham Nurseries Café, London
Pine, East Wallhouses
Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
Silo, London
Terroir Tapas, Bournemouth
The Dining Room, Malmesbury
(Inside the Michelin-recommended Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa)
The Small Holding, Kilndown
Tillingham, Peasmarsh
Where The Light Gets In, Stockport
Wilsons, Bristol
Exmoor Forest Inn, Simonsbath, England – NEW
Forge, Middleton Tyas, Yorkshire – NEW
Interlude, Lower Beeding, England – NEW
St Barts, London – NEW
Scotland
Inver, Strachur
Wales
Henry Robertson, Llandderfel
The Whitebrook, Whitebrook, Wales – NEW
ANNWN, Narberth, Wales – NEW
Republic of Ireland
Kai, Galway
Bib Gourmands
Andria, Dartmouth
Bancone, London
Bao, London
Beckford Bottle Shop, Bath
Berenjak, London
Blaise Inn, Bristol
BOX-E, Bristol
Broad Chare, Newcastle upon Tyne
Brutto, London
Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias, Colwyn Bay
Burnt Orange, Brighton
Charlton Arms, Ludlow
Cin Cin, Brighton and Hove
COR, Bristol
Cornish Arms, Tavistock
Dastaan, Ewell
Duncombe Arms, Ellastone
El Gato Negro, Manchester
Emilia, Ashburton
Everett’s, Waterford
Evernight, London
Farang, London
Flint House, Brighton
Galvin Green Man, Howe Street
Gunpowder Spitalfields, London
Gunton Arms, Thorpe Market
Haveli, Ponteland
Hereford Road, London
Hitchen’s Barn, Oakham
Hope & Anchor, South Ferriby
Hoppers, London
Ibérico World Tapas, Nottingham
Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, London
José, London
Kateh, London
Kiln, London
Kricket, London
Kudu, London
Kushi-Ya, Nottingham
Legare, London
manteca, London
Marmo, Bristol
Padella, London
pahli hill, London
Palomar, London
Paradise, London
Plaquemine Lock, London
Plaza Khao Gaeng, London
Popolo, London
Prashad, Drighlington
Primeur, London
Provender, London
Pulpo Negro, New Alresford
Queen of Cups, Glastonbury
Rick Stein’s Café, Padstow
Root, Bristol
Root Wells, Wells
Saint Francis Provisions, Kinsal
Sardine Factory, Looe
Sargasso, Margate
Sculthorpe Mill, Sculthorpe
Six Bells, Witham on the Hill
Skosh, York
Smokestak, London
St. JOHN Bread and Wine, London
Stag & Hounds, Burrough on the Hill
The Anchor, Ripley
The Barbary, London
The Chequers, Bath
The Galley, Topsham
The Green, Sherborne
The Inn at Welland, Welland
The Pelican, London
The Royal, St Leonards on Sea
The Spärrows, Manchester
Three Oaks, Gerrards Cross
Twelve, Thornton
Upstairs (at Trinity), London
Westerns Laundry, London
Wine & Brine, Moira
Empire Empire, London – NEW
Les 2 Garçons, London – NEW
Scotland
Celentano’s, Glasgow
The Scran & Scallie, Edinburgh
The Bonnie Badger, Gullane
Provender, Melrose
Noto, Edinburgh
Ox and Finch, Glasgow
Ka Pao, Glasgow
Kilberry Inn, Kilberry
tipo, Edinburgh – NEW
Wales
Yr Hen Printworks, Cardigan
Hare & Hounds, Aberthin
Touring Club, Penarth – NEW
Ireland
Aldridge Lodge, Duncannon
Chart House, Dingle
Uno Mas, Dublin
Thyme, Athlone
Table Forty One, Gorey
Spitalfields, Dublin
Sha-Roe Bistro, Clonegall
Richmond, Dublin
Pichet, Dublin
Goldie, Cork
Éan, Galway
Courthouse, Carrickmacross
Cush, Ballycotton
Ichigo Ichie Bistro & Natural Wine, Cork – NEW
Solas, Dingle – NEW
Lottie’s, Dublin – NEW
La Gordita, Dublin – NEW
Amy Austin, Dublin – NEW
Northern Ireland
Waterman, Belfast
Noble, Holywood
EDŌ, Belfast
Deanes at Queens, Belfast
Home, Belfast – NEW
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