The 2024 Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland
This Monday marked the 50th anniversary of the Michelin Guide in Great Britain and Ireland, as the annual awards night took place at the Midland Hotel in Manchester.
The selection of best-in-class restaurants in 2024 was unveiled during a special ceremony which announced a total of 1,162 restaurants on the list of inclusions. There was a new addition to the exclusive three Michelin-star gang, while a handful of institutions were awarded their second or first star, and a new cuisine was honoured for the first time.
Eclectic in its make-up, the list comprises a variety of restaurant styles, from counter dining and country houses to palatial hotels and farm-to-table.
England’s capital leads the way
London’s reputation as one of the world’s fine dining powerhouses continues to grow after an incredibly successful showing that included a new three-star establishment as well as three new two-star and 11 new one-star restaurants.
Among the newcomers that we’re most excited about is Brooklands, well-renowned Claude Bosi’s gem which sits inside the luxury Peninsula Hotel and has entered the list with two stars off the bat. You can read our recent insight on London’s growing fine dining scene here.
The stars
West London’s The Ledbury has become only the ninth restaurant in Great Britain and Ireland to receive three Michelin stars. Cited among the justification for its third star was the restaurant’s high-quality produce, including in-house wild mushrooms and private estate deer, contributing to the menu’s exemplary flavour.
18 new one-star establishments were honoured, while six made the leap from one to two stars, further enhancing their already pristine reputations. Among our picks is The Glenturret Lalique in Crieff, Scotland, which has become only the country’s second two Michelin-star restaurant. The menu boasts sophistication and class, while the whisky offering is to die for, largely due to the restaurant’s location in a working distillery.
Sustainability and diversity
One especially noticeable inclusion in this year’s Guide is the first-ever introduction of a two-star Indian restaurant. In fact, there were two – London’s Gymkhana and Birmingham’s Opheem. Opheem is described as a progressive take on traditional Indian cuisine, while Gymkhana is far more conventional in its approach.
There are also two new West African stars this time round, with the inclusion of Akoko and Chishuru helping shine a spotlight on the region’s cuisine. Chishuru’s founder and head chef, Adejoké Bakare, started the restaurant as a Brixton pop-up in 2020 and has now become the UK’s first black female Michelin-starred chef and only the second in the world.
In an ever-increasingly crucial categorisation, six restaurants were recognised with a Michelin Green Star, which marks an establishment’s commitment to sustainable gastronomy. Introduced in 2021, the Green Star recognises outstanding eco-friendly procedures and operations, and the six newest recipients have taken the total number of gastro/eco-warriors to 33.
If you’d like any more information on any of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland, or the rest of the world, we’d love to hear from you here. We’re specialists in gaining access to exclusive spots and can cater for all of your individual requirements, including travel, accommodation and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
