This year's Michelin restaurant and hotel guide has been officially unveiled with chefs Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and Alain Roux remaining firmly at the top.
No
new eateries achieved the coveted prize of three stars in the 2009 food
bible, which goes on sale on Friday. Blumenthal's Fat Duck and Roux's
The Waterside Inn, both in Bray, Berkshire, and Ramsay's self-titled
venue in Chelsea remain the only restaurants with a trio of stars.
But
women began to challenge male dominance in the industry with a record
10 female head chefs at starred restaurants, up from six last year.
The
guide's editor, Derek Bulmer, said: "For the first time we are seeing
women reach the top jobs in starred restaurants. Ten years ago we would
not have seen this.
"If it continues at the same rate it's no longer going to be the male dominated industry that it traditionally has been."
A record number of stars
were awarded by the guide's authors this year, with 26 making their
debut with one. Four venues achieved two stars for the first time: The
Dining Room at Whatley Manor in Malmesbury, Wiltshire; L'Atelier de
Joel Robuchon in Covent Garden, London; Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester
and Hibiscus, both in Mayfair, London.
A handful of venues were
tipped as "rising stars" of the future with Tom Aikens in Chelsea, The
Ledbury in Kensington and Nathan Outlaw in Fowey, Cornwall, tipped for
two and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester for three.
Bulmer said:
"We have never awarded so many stars in a single year before. These new
stars have been awarded to a host of establishments from gastro pubs
and family-run locals to country hotels and fashionable London
restaurants.
"We have also seen an increase in the number of refreshingly informal restaurants where the cooking is very good."
The
guide has introduced new awards for Chinese, Italian, French and
British cuisine, although Indian restaurant Tamarind in Mayfair lost
its star.
Bulmer said the top venues were more evenly spread
across the UK this year, with four new stars in Scotland, while London
could boast "one of the most varied and diverse restaurant scenes in
the world".
Bulmer said: "There is no doubt that 2009 will
bring challenging times for hotels and restaurants. I am hopeful that
the hospitality industry will prove to be resilient; that customers
continue to support their local pub or restaurant and that dining out
will remain part of our lives. Our inspectors will continue to search
out those establishments which not only maintain their standards but
also offer value for money to their customers."
The Michelin
Guide includes 2,516 hotels and guest houses and 1,691 restaurants and
pubs, which are anonymously inspected. The latest ratings were due to
be announced on Wednesday but details were leaked early.
