Cooking up a storm in the Midlands
08 September 2010
As The Good Food Guide 2011 celebrates its 60th anniversary, standards in the Midlands show no sign of slipping with 20 new entries and an Editors’ Award revealed today.
New entries from the Midlands in The Good Food Guide 2011 include* Loves Restaurant in Birmingham, described as ‘an oasis in the city’s heart’ and Non Solo Vino in Chesterfield where ‘the whole of Italy is covered by the wine list’. This brings the total number of Midlands restaurants in the Guide to 99.
Other top performers were Fischer’s Baslow Hall in Baslow, Mr Underhill’s in Ludlow and The Old Vicarage in Ridgeway, which secured coveted spots in the Guide’s list of the Top 60 restaurants in the UK, scoring an impressive seven out of ten**.
Sat Bains, head chef at Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, was given the Best Chef award by The Good Food Guide editors who were impressed by his daring culinary style and his continued ability to evolve. His cooking is thrilling stuff guaranteed to make diners think about food afresh.
The Good Food Guide was created in 1951 to raise the standards of dining out in Britain, and three Midlands restaurants have been impressing diners for decades. Hambleton Hall in Hambleton, Grafton Manor in Bromsgrove and Roade House in Roade have been in the Guide for 32, 31 and 26 years respectively.
Elizabeth Carter, Consultant Editor, The Good Food Guide 2011, says:
“The experience of dining out in the Midlands has been transformed over the last 60 years, and the restaurant scene is thriving. With 20 new entries in The Good Food Guide 2011, plus an Editors’ Award for the Best Chef going to Sat Bains, dining in the Midlands is on the up and up.
“We look forward to helping diners find local culinary gems for many years to come.”
- Ends -
The Good Food Guide ethos - empowering diners to find the very best places to eat and encouraging restaurants to offer the best possible food and service – has remained the same since 1951. Highlights of the past 60 years include:
1950s
- First issue of The Good Food Guide produced in 1951
- Pubs and inns dominated the Guides
- Guides included ‘any place where food could be eaten without nausea’
1960s
- A taste for foreign food developed as Brits started to go on their first package holidays
- Chinese and Indian food became popular
1970s
- Britain started to become known for its restaurants and chefs
- Some of Britain’s greatest chefs appeared in the Guide for the first time, notably Raymond Blanc and Nico Ladenis
1980s
- Campaigns for ‘real food’
- The phrase ‘modern British cooking’ was coined by The Good Food Guide
- Marco Pierre White burst onto the scene
1990s
- Gordon Ramsay entered the Guide as head chef at Aubergine, London
- Shaun Hill's Merchant House spearheaded the Ludlow phenomenon - a tiny Shropshire town that accumulated a nest egg of top-rated restaurants
2000s
- Rise of the ‘gastropub’
- British cooking now has an enviable culinary reputation
- The Fat Duck is considered one of the best restaurants in the world and receives a score of 10 from the Guide, taking the top spot.
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Notes to Editor
For more information, images of the latest and early editions of The Good Food Guide or an interview with Elizabeth Carter, please contact Nicole Gross on nicole.gross@which.co.uk or 020 7770 7564.
* The 20 new entries are:
- San Pietro , Scunthorpe
- Rushton Hall, Rushton
- Bobby's, Leicester
- Maiyango, Leicester
- The Kings Arms, Wing
- Piedaniel's, Bakewell
- The Samuel Fox Inn, Bradwell
- Nat's Kitchen, Buxton
- Non Solo Vino, Chesterfield
- Zest, Derby
- The Larder on Goosegate, Nottingham
- 99 Station Street, Burton upon Trent
- Qarma Tandoori, Leek
- Tailors, Warwick
- Lasan, Birmingham
- Loves Restaurant, Birmingham
- Pascal's, Birmingham
- Sitara, Ledbury
- Verzon House, Ledbury
- Green Café, Ludlow
**7/10 High level of ambition and individuality, attention to the smallest detail, accurate and vibrant dishes
About The Good Food Guide
The Good Food Guide is the UK’s bestselling restaurant guide. The Guide does not accept advertising and pays for every meal it reviews, ensuring it is completely independent and impartial. It includes reviews of the very best establishments in the UK, from great value pubs to fine dining.
The Good Food Guide 2011 can be ordered on 01992 822800 (£16.99, p&p free), at www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk/shop or bought at bookshops from Wednesday 8 September.
