In the end, the grand unveiling of this year’s Michelin stars for top dining was a bit of a sunken soufflé for Birmingham.
It’s not that anything bad happened. Far from it. None of the three restaurants that had one-star status suffered the ignominy of a “deletion,” so why the shrug of the shoulders?
The simple explanation is that we have moved on in terms of gastronomic achievement and expectation.
Birmingham is no longer the whipping boy of national food critics, although clearly there is still considerable work to be done. We now expect to have Michelin-starred restaurants in the city, just as we expect to have other non-starred restaurants offering top-level cooking.
The Michelin plaudits again go to Purnell’s, Simpsons and Turners, who all had their stars reconfirmed in the Michelin Guide 2011, the centenary year of the gourmets’ handbook.
Glynn Purnell, Luke Tipping at Simpsons and Richard Turner thoroughly deserve the recognition.
The only awkward omission from the star rankings is Andy Waters’ Edmunds, in Brindleyplace, which remains one of the city’s and the region’s premier dining destinations for me.
Further afield, Mallory Court in Leamington Spa, Ludlow’s La Becasse and Mr Underhill’s and Lords of the Manor at Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire also maintained their one-star rating.
Simon Haigh’s cooking at Mallory Court remains a model of consistency.
Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham retains its two stars.
There are now 143 Michelin-starred restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland, the highest number in the guide’s history. That’s some achievement considering the tough economic market, a pointed echoed by Michelin’s new editor-in-chief Rebecca Burr.
“There is no doubt that 2010 was a difficult year but those hotels and restaurants that represented value for money, at whatever price, were the ones who were best placed to weather the storm,” said Ms Burr.
“We found 12 new one-star establishments and awarded 26 new Bib Gourmands which readers particularly appreciate for their moderate prices.”
Nationally, there are two new two-star restaurants – Hélène Darroze at The Connaught in London, and Nathan Outlaw in Rock, Cornwall – but there are no promotions to the ultimate three-star level.
There are now 123 (including 12 new) one-star restaurants; 16 (two new) two-stars; and four three-stars restaurants (Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea and The Fat Duck and The Waterside Inn in Bray).
The first Michelin Guide to the British Isles was published in 1911, with the aim of helping motorists on their travels, highlighting details on hotels and repair shops.
