The Michelin Guide: how to earn your stars

Among those claiming a Michelin star for the first time were a pub run by a Masterchef winner (The Treby Arms in South Devon), London tapas bar Barrafina and Simon Rogan’s Fera at Claridge’s. Simon Rogan is no stranger to the Michelin star as the main man behind L’enclume. The highly-acclaimed Cumbrian restaurant was anticipated by some to rise from two stars to three in this year’s guide but maintained an impressive two star rating. There were no new two or three stars venues added to the Great Britain and Ireland book this year.

Michelin trends

So, if you’re shooting for the stars what should you be doing? The list of recipients on this year’s star list was incredibly diverse, spanning all types of cuisine and both formal and more casual dining.

The guide's editor, Rebecca Burr, explained: "The 14 new stars in our 2015 guide highlight the enormous richness and variety of the UK's restaurant scene. They range from country pubs to hipster hangouts, from counter restaurants to classic dining rooms.”

Your restaurant might be a pub on a Scottish Island or a trendy London hotspot, though you may admittedly have the odds stacked against you if you’re based in Manchester, which is famously without a Michelin-starred restaurant despite a thriving food scene and its own Simon Rogan restaurant, The French.

The review process

If you fancy your chances of gaining a star you can invite the inspectors from the Michelin Guide to pay you a visit. You’ll actually be visited a number of times unannounced by an incognito inspector, who will sample your food across all courses and visit at different times in order to ascertain quality and consistency. Also factored in are use of seasonal and local ingredients and technical skill. Another way to catch the attention of the judges is if your restaurant is causing a stir among diners, as many readers of the guide write in and suggest new hotspots for inspectors to visit.

Bib Gourmands

While it’s the dream of many restaurateurs to produce a Michelin starred restaurant there are actually other ways to receive the Michelin stamp of approval. Only five per cent of the restaurants covered by the Guide are actually awarded stars. A much larger but still select group are awarded bib gourmands in recognition of standing out as favourite eateries of the inspectors. This year 26 new Bib Gourmands were added to the book, though there were also those that lost and retained their Bibs. First awarded in 1997, Bib is short for Bibendum who is the ‘Michelin Man’ character associated with the brand. To qualify for inclusion in this category an eatery must boast moderate prices as well as excellent cuisine and the cost of three courses should come in under £28. Speaking about the new recipients of the award this year, Ms Burr said: "The Bib Gourmand awards also reflect the continuing trend for competitively-priced, less structured and more flexible dining."

Casual, flexible and even tailored dining is a trend that’s going from strength to strength, whether it’s the same type of high quality food in unusual settings mentioned in our recent festival post or the London tapas bar that caught a Michelin star. That said, one eatery that became a one-star eatery in the latest round of awards, Bubbledog, serves a set menu of gourmet hotdogs and champagne, which seems to cover all bases!

Falling stars

While it’s great to shoot for the stars, those serving food should always remember the motto ‘the customer is always right’ and not get too hung up on recognition as a measure of success. In a similar sentiment to ‘is it better to have loved and lost’ it’s worth remembering that it is perhaps more painful to have been stripped of stars than to struggle and never be awarded one in the first place. Gordon Ramsay famously cried when his New York restaurant was downgraded, so if you don’t quite make the grade during your career at least take comfort in the fact you won’t feel the pain either!

Image Credit

All pictures made by Charles Haynes except File:Jacques Lameloise DSCF6546.jpg made by User:Arnaud 25, File:Sound Of The Sea.jpg made by andrew and File:Salmon in Licorice Gel.jpg made by misskoslow. [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons