michelin strips seven of stars
by Christina Golding
THE latest edition of the Michelin guide, published this week, has awarded 15 restaurants their first Michelin-star rating, while seven restaurants have lost theirs.
While there were no additions or deletions to three-star restaurants, Paul Heathcote's Longridge restaurant in Lancashire was demoted from its two-stars rating to just one star.
Among the seven restaurants to lose their single star was Maison Novelli in London's Clerkenwell.
This follows the departure last year of Jean-Christophe Novelli (see story below) as resident chef to cook at Les Saveurs de Jean-Christophe Novelli, which has retained its star.
Lucknam Park in Bath, Plas Bodegroes in Pwllheli, Wales, and Dublin's The Commons were also stripped of their stars.
London restaurants accounted for a third of the stars awarded, including The Square in London's Mayfair which gained its second Michelin star.
Gary Rhodes's City Rhodes, Chavot in Chelsea and Soho's Quo Vadis all gained their first stars.
Michelin also awarded single stars to Scottish restaurants Summer Isles in Achiltibuie and Inverlochy Castle, Fort William, and in Dublin the Peacock Alley.
Additional newcomers included the Horn of Plenty in Tavistock, Devon; Charlton House in Shepton Mallet, Somerset; Homewood Park in Bath; and Juniper in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.
A major change to this year's guide was the inclusion of 143 traditional pubs offering quality food.
Michelin's recognition of the pub industry with its own category signals the rapid improvement of pub food in recent years.
The guide's tentative acknowledgement of good food that is not French continued with the award of a star to London restaurant Nobu, at the Metropolitan Hotel, and Italian restaurant the River Café in Hammersmith.
