00:00 A huge award ceremony celebrating restaurant excellence arrived in Manchester on Monday
00:06 the 5th of February. The Michelin Guide Awards were held at Manchester's Midland Hotel in
00:11 the city centre and the best chefs from Great Britain and Ireland flocked to see which restaurants
00:17 would be given the ultimate accolade of a Michelin star.
00:20 Eighteen restaurants have been awarded one Michelin star status in 2024. Six were given
00:26 two stars and one three stars. Six green stars were also handed out for restaurants leading
00:32 in the industry for their commitment to sustainable practices.
00:37 It promises to be an exciting and in some cases emotional evening as we celebrate our
00:42 shared passion for fantastic food, genuine hospitality as well as marking the 50th anniversary
00:49 of the Michelin Guide in Great Britain and Ireland.
00:53 Despite the location, Manchester restaurants were missing from the list of awards. Although
00:58 hopes had been high that we would see some of the city's fine dining establishments join
01:02 Ancote's Manor, our one Michelin starred restaurant. Stockport's Where the Light Gets In had been
01:08 seen as a strong contender but sadly Manchester was left empty handed.
01:12 London walked away with 10 new one Michelin star restaurants and renowned celebrity chef
01:17 and TV presenter Michelle Rue was on hand to present the chefs with these prestigious
01:22 awards.
01:24 What is the Michelin Guide, Ros? What's that all about?
01:27 We started in 1889 with two French brothers who have a famous tyre company and the whole
01:32 point was to get people to go out and about in their cars, to take road trips, to visit
01:37 different restaurants and places to eat in order to use up their tyres so they would
01:40 need new tyres. And it's grown obviously exponentially since then. We've got the UK and Ireland Guide,
01:46 there's guides from all over Europe and the world. They just recently launched it in Dubai.
01:50 And because it's judged by inspectors who are part of the hospitality industry, it's
01:55 a big deal for chefs. It would be the top one that they're looking to get.
01:59 The awards tonight will demonstrate how resilient the industry is. They will also illustrate
02:07 how local chefs are shaping culinary experiences that stand out for their growing refinement,
02:15 culinary diversity and sustainable commitment.
02:20 The chefs who were awarded stars were understandably emotional to have achieved such an accolade
02:25 for their hard work. We managed to speak to the head chef of the now two-star restaurant,
02:30 the Glentaur at La Ligue in Scotland.
02:32 How does it feel to be in a Michelin star restaurant?
02:37 Amazing, amazing. I'm a sweaty mess, honestly. Yeah, really, really fantastic. It's great
02:44 for a great personal achievement, professional achievement. It's great for the team. It's
02:48 great for Scotland.
02:49 Do you think that there is still a place for the highest level of fine dining set menus
02:53 and all that glorious performance?
02:56 I think so, yeah. I mean, we wouldn't be sitting here if that wasn't the case. I think these
03:02 are the people that are going to thrive in terms of people coming for celebratory meals.
03:06 There's always a place for that. It's just finding the place as things change. But the
03:11 passion from the chefs and the expertise is always going to be there, and quite rightly
03:15 so. So yeah, I think it will always continue.
03:17 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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