THE MICHELIN GUIDE GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND 2008

(Stoke-on-Trent, 23 January 2007)

The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2008 is launched on Friday 25 January priced at £15.99 (€23.20 in Ireland).

This year’s guide includes 15 new one star restaurants. Making-up the list of ‘Rising Stars’ for 2008 are five establishments tipped for one star and three that are tipped for two stars. There are also 33 new Bib Gourmand establishments, offering ‘good food at moderate prices’ – three courses for less than £28 (€40 in Ireland).

Derek Bulmer, the Editor, says: “Informal dining, greater use of locally grown produce and seasonality are the trends evident in this year’s guide. Customers are demanding more information about food provenance and sustainability, and chefs are responding by rediscovering local ingredients. “

There has also been a swing away from ‘fusion’ cooking and back to more European based cooking. “We have also seen more competitive pricing which is why we have awarded so many Bib Gourmands this year.” Derek Bulmer says “Culinary diversity has long been the UK’s strength and now there’s an even wider choice, thanks to greater informality and lower prices”.

The format of the Michelin Guide means that it offers readers an unrivalled selection of hotels and restaurants to suit all pockets, in a compact sized book. The 2008 Guide has 4,567 entries, and of those, 2,748 are hotels and guesthouses and 1,819 are restaurants and pubs; all regularly and anonymously inspected by Michelin’s own team of professional inspectors.

At the same time, the Michelin Guide London 2008 is also launched, priced at £9.99 (€14.50 in Ireland). This new-look guide was introduced in 2007 and forms part of our collection of City guides, from New York to Tokyo. It features two entries per page for non-starred establishments and one entry per page for starred eateries.