Good Food Guide sees restaurants outside London gain more recognition

11th August 2010, 10:50am

Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay remain the cream of the culinary crop, but there's a change in the air as out-of-towners climb up the restaurant ladder, according to the 60th anniversary edition of The Good Food Guide 2011.

For the third year in a row, Blumenthal's The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, has taken the top spot and received the highest accolade – a 10 out of 10 rating. 

As The Good Food Guide sums up, "a razor-sharp culinary intelligence is at work here, summoning up a procession of 'world-beating' dishes for the bedazzled throngs." 

It seems that London's grip on the UK's culinary crown might be slipping, as Gordon Ramsay's flagship restaurant was the only one in London to make it into the top five.
In second place, Ramsay's Royal Hospital Road was praised as "the nearest thing to a world-class restaurant experience currently on offer in the capital." 

Rounding off the top five are Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire in third, with up-and-coming chefs at L'Enclume in Cumbria and Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Cornwall taking fourth and fifth place. 

One of the qualities they all share is the dedication to local, fresh produce. At L'Enclume, chef Simon Rogan has leased an organic farm where the produce dictates his menu, while 80% of Nathan Outlaw's menu is Cornish-landed fish, described as an "education in seafood."

Elizabeth Carter, consultant editor of The Good Food Guide, said: "Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay continue to delight us with their stuff of genius, world class style and truly memorable dining experiences. 

"But we've seen significant changes in the UK restaurant scene over the last year. A crop of talent has sprung up all over the country, pushing London restaurants out of the top spots with their culinary delights."

Related Articles:

• 08 Sep 2010 - Chef Raymond Blanc scoops Good Food Lifetime Achievement Award
• 01 Sep 2010 - Viajante is London's best new restaurant according to Harden's
• 27 Aug 2010 - Friends and colleagues gather at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons to bid au revoir to the legendary Monsieur Alain
• 19 May 2010 - The Swan at Southrop scoops Restaurant of the Year accolade
• 02 Mar 2010 - The hunt is on to find the restaurant of the year 2010
• 28 Jan 2010 - The Good Food Guide launches new iPhone application
• 04 Jan 2010 - Good Food Guide predicts the next decade’s hot-shot chefs
• 08 Sep 2009 - London restaurants still at top, says Good Food Guide
• 28 Aug 2009 - Little Chef makes the Good Food Guide
• 10 Jun 2009 - Ronnies wins Good Food Guide award

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