Recently in Good Food Guide Category

Next to celebrity chef, it's arguably the most misused and indeed hated word in the hospitality industry: Gastropub.

So it's no surprise to see a revolt against its use. The Good Food Guide 2012 has ditched the word gastropub because it has lost its meaning.

It argues the original gastropub is dead as growing numbers of landlords are now offering food alongside the traditional pint and packets of crisps.

The Good Food Guide's consultant editor Elizabeth Carter says that many pubs were now looking beyond the limited market of food connoisseurs that the gastropub appealed to.

"The ongoing recession has hit pubs hard and the successful ones have had to adapt to survive - they can no longer focus only on either drinkers or diners to stay afloat," she says.

"In compiling the Good Food Guide 2012 we've seen pubs making this very welcome move back to good old-fashioned hospitality to appeal to the widest audience - gastropub simply doesn't cover the breadth of creative and interesting dining options many pubs are now embracing."

Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck has retained its place as the UK's best restaurant in the Good Food Guide but other chefs including Simon Rogan, Sat Bains and Jason Atherton are starting to redefine ideas on what makes a great restaurant, according to the guide.

Blumenthal's three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, has retained its perfect score of 10 out of 10 in the 2012 edition of the Good Food Guide, while a number of other establishments have scored an almost perfect nine out of 10.

They include Rogan's Michelin-starred L'Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria, and Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, which have ranked in second and third place of the guide's list of the Top 50 UK Restaurants respectively.  

Elizabeth Carter, consultant editor of the Good Food Guide, commented: "Simon Rogan is all about pushing boundaries, changing perceptions and forging links between nature and the kitchen. His cooking is a revelation from start to finish."

Rogan said he was thrilled with the result. "This means so much me and the team - coming second in the country with a 9/10 score is unbelievable," he said.

Jason Atherton's Pollen Street Social in London has come in as the highest new entry in the top 10, landing in eighth place less than six months after opening. Carter described Atherton as a chef whose pace-setting invention was a triumph.
 
Meanwhile celebrity chefs continue to be recognised in the Good Food Guide's top 10, with Gordon Ramsay's flagship in London's Chelsea ranking in fourth place, Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saison in Oxfordshire in sixth place, and Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley in seventh place.

"The Good Food Guide 2012 showcases what has been a fascinating year for dining in the UK.  The dining scene across the country is vibrant, with some supremely talented chefs serving innovative food which is winning our readers' hearts - there is much to be excited about," said Carter. 

The Good Food Guide has named Orwells, in Shiplake, Oxfordshire, the winner of its Readers' Restaurant of the Year Award.

The restaurant, which is run by Ryan Simpson and Liam Trotman, former chefs of the Michelin-starred Goose, beat nine other finalists voted for by more than 27,500 Good Food Guide readers.

Opened in May 2010, Orwells is a pub-cum-restaurant with a 62-seat pub, 30-seat garden and a 15-seat fine dining area known as the Room. The set-up means that head chef Simpson can split his menu offering a fine dining experience as well as a more accessible, and more affordable, pub menu.
 
Elizabeth Carter, consultant editor of the Good Food Guide, commented: "It was Orwells' bags of energy and that something-for-everyone appeal that made it stand out - and they had some very strong competition.

"Ryan Simpson clearly understands the way we want to eat now and has judged his market exactly.'

Orwells owners Simpson and Trotman were delighte, adding: "We're really thrilled and delighted to win the Good Food Guide Readers' Restaurant of the Year in such a short period of time since opening. It shows how hard work, determination and listening to your customers really can pay off."

The Good Food Guide Readers' Restaurant of the Year Award is run annually to find the UK's favourite restaurant as nominated by the general public. To qualify for the awards restaurants needed to be independently-run, offering regional or local produce where possible and deliver consistently great food and excellent service. 

The ten regional winners of the Good Food Guide Readers' Restaurant of the Year Awards were shortlisted to be overall winner. The regional winners were:

-      Wales - Cwtch, Pembrokeshire
-      East of England - Roger Hickman's, Norwich
-      London - Retro Bistrot, Teddington
-      Midlands - Edmunds, Birmingham
-      Northern Ireland - Molly's Yard, Belfast
-      North West - Spire, Liverpool
-      North East - Salvo's, Leeds
-      Scotland - Ondine, Edinburgh
-      South East - Orwells, Shiplake (winner)
-      South West - The Mill Tea & Dining Room, Lyme Regis

All regional winners will appear in the Good Food Guide 2012 which will be published on 8 September 2011.

 

Celebrity chefs continue to dominate the UK's dining scene, according to the latest edition of The Good Food Guide, which lists Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc's restaurants as the top three in the country.

The Good Food Guide, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary, has named Blumenthal's three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, the top UK restaurant for the third year running awarding it the top score of 10/10.

Ramsay's three-Michelin-starred flagship restaurant in London came in second place scoring 9/10, with Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Oxfordshire in third place with a score of 8/10.

The remainder of the Top 10 UK restaurants is dominated by establishments outside of the capital including Simon Rogan's L'Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria; Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Rock, Cornwall; and Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham.

"Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay continue to delight us with their stuff of genius, world class style and truly memorable dining experiences," comments Elizabeth Carter, consultant editor at The Good Food Guide.

"But we've seen significant changes in the UK restaurant scene over the last year.  A crop of talent has sprung up all over the country, pushing London restaurants out of the top spots with their culinary delights."

The Good Food Guide 2011 will be published on 8 September priced £16.99.

UPDATE: The Good Food Guide today released its Top 10 restaurants but industry blogger Chef Hermes got his hands on the list of all 60 restaurants. See list below.

The Good Food Guide 2011 Top 60 restaurants (thanks to Chef Hermes):
1. The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire (10)
2. Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road, London (9)
3. Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons,Great Milton, Oxfordshire (8)
4. L'Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria (8)
5. Restaurant Nathan Outlaw,Rock, Cornwall (8)
6. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (8)
7. Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, London (8)
8. Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (8)
9. Pied-à-Terre, London (8)
10. The Square, London (8)
11. Hibiscus, London (8)
12. Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London (8)
13. Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House, Marlow, Buckinghamshire (8)
14. Whatley Manor, Easton Grey, Wiltshire (8)
15. Le Gavroche, London (8)
16. Tom Aikens, London (8)
17. Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh, Scotland (8)
18. The Waterside Inn, Bray,Berkshire (7)
19. Bohemia, St Helier, Jersey (7)
20. Fraiche, Oxton, Merseyside (7)
21. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, London (7)
22. Murano, London (7)
23. Anthony's Restaurant, Leeds, Yorkshire (7)
24. Fischer's Baslow Hall, Baslow, Derbyshire (7)
25. Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon (7)
26. Robert Thompson at the Hambrough, Ventnor, Isle of Wight (7)
27. Midsummer House, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (7)
28. Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo, Wales (7)
29. The Ledbury, London (7)
30. The Crown at Whitebrook, Whitebrook, Wales (7)
31. The Pass, Lower Beeding, West Sussex (7)
32. Mr Underhill's, Ludlow, Shropshire (7)
33. Michael Wignall at the Latymer, Bagshot, Surrey (7)
34. Hambleton Hall, Hambleton, Leicestershire & Rutland (7)
35. Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland (7)
36. Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor, Chester, Cheshire (7)
37. The Creel, St Margaret's Hope, Scotland (7)
38. Harry's Place, Great Gonerby, Lincolnshire (7)
39. The Old Vicarage, Ridgeway, Derbyshire (7)
40. The Greenhouse, London (6)
41. The Kitchin, Edinburgh, Scotland (6)
42. Purnell's, Birmingham, West Midlands (6)
43. Artichoke, Amersham, Buckinghamshire (6)
44. The Sportsman, Whitstable, Kent (6)
45. Club Gascon, London (6)
46. Ramsons, Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester (6)
47. The Yorke Arms, Ramsgill, Yorkshire (6)
48. La Bécasse, Ludlow, Shropshire (6)
49. The Hand & Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire (6)
50. Galvin at Windows, London (6)
51. Chez Bruce, London (6)
52. Northcote, Langho, Lancashire (6)
53. Read's, Faversham, Kent (6)
54. The Cellar, Anstruther, Scotland (6)
55. Arbutus, London (6)
56. Zafferano, London (6)
57. The Peat Inn, Peat Inn, Scotland (6)
58. The Capital, London (6)
59. Seven Park Place, London (6)
60. Alimentum, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (6)

Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes' new restaurant Viajante was met with mixed reviews this weekend.

Writing for The Times, Tony Turnbull is unsure just how definitive of a new era of eating out the restaurant in Bethnal Green is. "Viajante in East London may or may not be the next big thing in the restaurant world, the place that may or may not define the face of dining for a new generation," he says. "Mendes is clearly a huge talent, but is he the next big thing? I simply wouldn't know."

Meanwhile The Independent describes the restaurant as one that clearly aims to be world-class in an area which badly needs visitor attractions. "But his mission is compromised by disjointed service and over-intellectualised food."

Zoe Williams of the Daily Telegraph loves gastropub the Canton Arms in Stockwell. "I hate blaspheming - it's so Carrie Bradshaw - but all I can say about B's pork tonnato (£7) is oh my God," she enthuses.

The Observer's Jay Rayner discovers a restaurant perfectly catering for his love of pork in the Milestone in Sheffield, located in a city not otherwise known for its fine dining.

AA Gill, writing in the Sunday Times, is underwhelmed by the French Table in Surbiton, Surrey, which he says doesn't meet the palate of a "blase, overstimulated epicurean from the bijoux stews of bohemia" but perfectly caters for the suburban clientele.

In The Guardian Matthew Norman reviews one of his local stalwarts, Kathmandu Inn, saying if your local curry house is even half as good as this, then you're laughing.

The Good Food Guide has published the regional shortlist for its Restaurant Of the Year awards.

More than 25,000 diners all over the UK nominated their favourite local restaurants, pubs and cafés between 1 March and 21 April. 

The 10 regional winners will now go head to head to become the overall winner of The Good Food Guide Readers' Restaurant of the Year at the Which? Awards on 19 May. 

All 10 restaurants will be included in the 2011 edition of the Guide, published in September.

The shortlisted restaurants are:

Wales: Slice, Swansea
East England: Wiveton Bell, Norfolk
London: The French Table, Surbiton
Midlands: Saffron, Birmingham
Northern Ireland: Ginger Bistro, Belfast
North West: Northcote, Lancashire
North East: Artisan, Hessle
Scotland: La Garrigue, Edinburgh
South East: Vanilla Pod, Marlow
South West: The Swan at Southrop

Good news for Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay: according to the latest edition of the Good Food Guide the celebrity chefs are still at the top of their game when it comes to restaurants.

The restaurant bible has named Heston Blumenthal's three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, the best restaurant in Britain awarding it a perfect score of ten out of ten for the second year in a row.

Gordon Ramsay's flagship three-Michelin-starred restaurant on London's Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea scored nine out of ten making it the second most popular UK restaurant in the Good Food Guide 2010.

The awards will no doubt have some critics up in arms.

The Good Food Guide 2010 is published on 8 September priced £16.99.