After what has been a year like no other for the restaurant industry, the Michelin Guide announced its new stars for 2021 in Great Britain and Ireland at its annual Michelin Star Revelation ceremony on January 25. As the ceremony moved online for the first time, records were set, with not one but two restaurants helmed by female chefs awarded the pinnacle of three stars.
Core by Clare Smyth became the first UK female-run restaurant to be awarded three stars. Smyth, the previous head chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, opened her debut restaurant just three years ago, with it quickly becoming widely regarded as one of the best in the country. The Northern Irish chef said: “It’s been my dream to achieve this level, but I never imagined it could happen… For the future, I hope young chefs – both male and female – have the chance to own a restaurant and achieve success. It’s an important message for now [given Covid-19].”
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Also receiving a coveted third star was Hélène Darroze at The Connaught. Darroze, who has had an illustrious career seeing her establish restaurants in Paris and Moscow, opened at The Connaught in 2008. On the announcement of the award, the renowned French chef said: “I am thinking of all women in the kitchen, and I want to let them know that everything is possible and believe in who you are.”
Chef Hélène Darroze / ©Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
Clare Smyth pictured in the kitchen at Core / ©Core by Clare Smyth
Other notable winners included A Wong in London, which was awarded a second Michelin star, making it the first Chinese restaurant in the UK to achieve two-star status, and Cail Bruich, the first restaurant in Glasgow to be awarded a Michelin star in nearly two decades.
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Related
In a night of firsts, the 2021 ceremony also saw the Michelin Guide UK and Ireland recognize sustainability with a new accolade: the Green Star. Twenty-three restaurants across the UK and Ireland were awarded the distinction, which honors restaurants at the forefront of ethical and environmental standards. The list includes one-Michelin-starred Loam in Galway, run by chef-owner Enda McEvoy, who is a true champion of natural ingredients. Also making the list is Inver, a small restaurant tucked away on the shores of Loch Fyne on Scotland’s west coast, which serves fresh seafood and native game in season. A full list of Green Star restaurants can be found here.
For a full list of all 22 restaurants to be awarded new stars in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2021, see below.
New three-Michelin-star restaurants
Core by Clare Smyth, London
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Helene Darozze at The Connaught, London
New two-Michelin-star restaurants
A Wong, London
Da Terra, London
Story, London
New one-Michelin-star restaurants
Behind, London
Benares, London
Cail Bruich, Glasgow
Casa Fofo, London
Cornerstone, London
Davies & Brook, London
Dede, Baltimore
Hide & Fox, Saltwood
Hjem, Northumberland
Latymer at Pennyhill Park, Bagshot
Muse by Tom Aikens, Belgravia
Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac
Osip, Bruton
Pea Porridge, Bury St Edmonds
Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, Ripon
Sola, London
Roots, York
Find out more on the Michelin Guide website.
