00:00 The Michelin Guide Awards took place on Monday 5 February,
00:03 and the best chefs from Great Britain and Ireland gathered to see which
00:07 restaurants would be given the ultimate accolade of a Michelin star.
00:11 The event was held in Manchester and saw the announcement of not just the renowned
00:15 Michelin stars, but also Green Stars, recognising restaurants leading in the
00:19 industry for their commitment to sustainable practices, and a range of special awards
00:24 celebrating outstanding professionals.
00:26 18 restaurants were awarded one Michelin star status, six were given two stars and
00:31 one three stars, meaning 25 dining venues around Great Britain and Ireland were
00:36 given the prestigious accolades.
00:38 But what exactly is a Michelin star, and why is gaining the status such an aspiration for chefs?
00:44 What is the Michelin Guide, Ros? What's that all about?
00:47 Well, it started in 1889 with two French brothers who have a famous tyre company,
00:53 and the whole point was to get people to go out and about in their cars, to take road trips,
00:57 to visit different restaurants and places to eat in order to use up their tyres,
01:01 so they would need new tyres. And it's grown obviously exponentially since then.
01:05 We've got the UK and Ireland Guide, there's guides from all over Europe and the world,
01:08 they just recently launched it in Dubai, and because it's judged by inspectors who are part
01:14 of the hospitality industry, it's a big deal for chefs. It would be the top one that they're looking to get.
01:20 It promises to be an exciting, and in some cases emotional evening,
01:24 as we celebrate our shared passion for fantastic food, genuine hospitality,
01:30 as well as marking the 50th anniversary of the Michelin Guide in Great Britain and Ireland.
01:36 Renowned celebrity chef and TV presenter Michelle Rue was on hand to present the chefs with one-star
01:42 awards, and this year saw the rarely awarded three-star status given to the Ledbury in London,
01:48 making it the ninth three-Michelin star restaurant in Great Britain and Ireland.
01:53 How are you feeling about this? Yeah, just blown away, I had no idea.
01:56 We were sort of coming up today wondering what might happen, but we knew we'd sort of probably
02:02 been on the radar a bit, but I thought probably I'd have to tell you beforehand, we had no idea,
02:06 so amazing surprise. And you know, I want to say to Tom, and Tom, you're a hell of a cook,
02:12 and Jack, you're a gentleman inside the kitchen and out, and I'm really lucky to be working with
02:16 you two guys, and you're a big part of this. Thank you.
02:18 We caught up with Mark Donald, head chef of the now two-Michelin-starred restaurant,
02:27 the Glentourette La Ligue in Scotland, just after he was presented with the award.
02:31 How does it feel to be at a Michelin-starred restaurant?
02:35 Amazing, amazing. I'm a sweaty mess, honestly. Yeah, really, really fantastic. It's great,
02:42 it's great for a great personal achievement, professional achievement,
02:46 it's great for the team, it's great for Scotland. Do you think that there is still a place for the
02:50 highest level of fine dining set menus and all that glorious performance?
02:55 I think so, yeah. I mean, we wouldn't be sitting here if that wasn't the case. I think
02:59 this is, these are the people that are going to thrive in terms of people coming for celebrated
03:04 meals. There's always a place for that, it's just, it's finding the place as things change,
03:09 but the passion from the chefs and the expertise is always going to be there,
03:13 and quite rightly so. So yeah, I think it will always continue.
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