The Good Food Guide 2009’s Top 40 UK Restaurants
The Good Food Guide 2009 last week announced the top 40 UK restaurants – and there’s a pack of new chefs chasing the tails of the top dogs.
Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck is still number one (with a stunning ten out of ten this year), followed by Gordon Ramsay in second place. Chef Marcus Wareing has driven Pétrus up four places, to pip Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons to third place.
Lower down the chart is a crop of exciting British talent who Good Food Guide editor, Elizabeth Carter, says could be challenging for top spots in the near future. These chefs (currently scoring seven or eight out of ten) all have enormous talent and could become the next Blumenthal or Ramsay.
Elizabeth Carter, editor of The Good Food Guide, says:
Is the old guard about to be toppled? These are exciting times for the UK restaurant scene with some really talented young chefs emerging who could go all the way to the top.
They are:
- Nathan Outlaw at Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Cornwall (No 11, up one place) has been making “discreet but powerful waves” by producing “incredible food.”
- Jason Atherton at Maze, London (15, up 19 places) demonstrates “confident, pace-setting cooking and compelling flavour juxtapositions.”
- Shaun Rankin at Bohemia, Jersey (17, up 12 places) is a “hugely accomplished talent cooking at the top of his game.”
- Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House, Marlow (new entry at 19) “shows elements of pure genius.”
- Michael Wignall at the Latymer, Surrey (new entry at 27) demonstrates a “complex and highly technical modern approach.”
The Good Food Guide 2009 Top 40
1. Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire (10/10)
2. Gordon Ramsay, London (9)
3. Pétrus, London (8)
4. Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxon (8)
5. Square, London (8)
6. Le Champignon Sauvage, Gloucs (8)
7. Le Gavroche, London (8)
8. Waterside Inn, Bray, Berkshire (8)
9. Vineyard at Stockcross, Berkshire (8)
10. Pied à Terre, London (8)
11. Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Cornwall (8)
12. Tom Aikens, London (8)
13. L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria (8)
14. Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh (8)
15. Maze, London (7)
16. The Capital, London (7)
17. Bohemia, St Helier, Jersey (7)
18. Hibiscus, London (7, new)
19. Danesfield House, Bucks (7, new)
20. Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon (7)
21. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham (7)
22. Anthony’s, Leeds, Yorkshire (7)
23. Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Scotland (7)
24. Holbeck Ghyll, Windermere, Cumbria (7)
25. Fischer’s Baslow Hall, Derbyshire (7)
26. Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor, Cheshire (7)
27. Michael Wignall at the Latymer, Surrey (7, new)
28. Whatley Manor, Wiltshire (7, new)
29. Hambleton Hall, Leics (7)
30. Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo, Wales (7)
31. Harry’s Place, Lincolnshire (7)
32. The Creel, Orkney, Scotland (7)
33. Mr Underhill, Ludlow, Shropshire (7)
34. Old Vicarage, Ridgeway, Derbyshire (7)
35. Castle Hotel, Taunton, Somerset (6)
36. The Greenhouse, London (6)
37. Club Gascon, London (6)
38. Kitchin, Edinburgh (6)
39. Simpsons, Edgbaston, Birmingham (6)
40. Crown at Whitebrook, Gwent (6, new)
Ratings in brackets mean:
10/10 An extremely rare accolade given to a restaurant producing perfect dishes on a consistent basis.
9/10 Cooking that has reached a pinnacle of achievement, making a hugely memorable experience for the diner.
8/10 A kitchen cooking close to or at the top of its game showing faultless technique and impressive artistry.
7/10 High level of ambition and individuality, attention to the smallest detail, accurate and vibrant dishes.
6/10 Exemplary cooking skills, innovative ideas, impeccable ingredients and an element of excitement.
Filed under: Chefs, Guidebooks, Restaurants, UK | Tagged: Good Food Guide, Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal