MICHELIN Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2019 Selection

Today, at a live ceremony held inside the BFI IMAX in London's South Bank district and hosted by former race car driver Amanda Stretton, the MICHELIN Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2019 was announced, including three new two-star restaurants and 21 new one-star restaurants. "Chefs and their restaurants are ambassadors of their cities or country—you chefs here in the audience are a wonderful example of this," says Pascal Couasnon, Michelin Food and Travel managing director, of the some 180 chefs in attendance. "It helps establish this global reputation and safeguard this authenticity."

"I'm very happy to be with you at this—my very first launch as the international director of the MICHELIN Guides," says Gwendal Poullennec, who was recently appointed to the position. "I'm especially happy as Great Britain and Ireland is one of the longest established MICHELIN Guides in our portfolio. With its rich history and heritage, Great Britain and Ireland is home to very exciting cuisine embracing influences from all over the world. London is also a very special place as it offers one of the most diverse range of food available anywhere."

Making headlines this year is Core by Clare Smyth, which received two stars in the 2019 guide. Core is Smyth's first solo restaurant; she left Gordon Ramsay, where she served as executive chef, last year. Chef James Knappett's Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs in Bloomsbury as well as Mark Birchall's Moor Hall in Aughton gained their second stars.

Three pubs in England have entered the guide with one star for the first time: Blackbird outside Newbury; The White Swan in Fence, Lancashire; and, near Canterbury, Fordwich Arms in Fordwich, Britain’s smallest town. In addition, Simon Rogan follows the success of two Michelin-starred L’Enclume, with a star for his Rogan & Co restaurant in the same village of Cartmel and also for his London outpost Roganic.

"The inspectors have also seen exciting things happening in the Republic of Ireland this year, and much of it in County Cork," says director of the guide, Rebecca Burr. The county plays host to three new one-starred establishments: Chestnut, Mews and Ichigo Ichie. "There’s a lot of ability in Ireland right now," continues Burr. "As everyone knows, the produce is stunning and it’s great to see chefs injecting such passion and personality into their food."

London’s gastronomic vigor is highlighted by its new one stars, which are all so different in their looks, their style and their cooking. Brat, in a room above a converted pub in Shoreditch, is all about cooking over fire, while the highly original Ikoyi in St. James’s introduces diners to the flavors of West Africa. Hide, opposite Green Park, was perhaps the most eagerly awaited unveiling of 2018 and marked the return of chef Ollie Dabbous. This bustling, three-story all-day restaurant bucked the trend for small, intimate places. The Michelin inspectors were thrilled when the team behind Ellory opened their new place, Leroy, also in Shoreditch. Meanwhile, Nieves Barragán’s Sabor shows what can be achieved when a chef puts their heart and soul into their own place.

Congratulations to all restaurants included in the MICHELIN Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2019. View the full list of starred restaurants below.