Twenty years after it first opened, Simon Rogan finally won a third Michelin star at L’Enclume and in doing so has become the first chef to win a third Michelin star in the UK at a restaurant outside of London or Bray. We’ve been predicting that L’Enclume would win the highest accolade for a few years now and who knows what’s made the difference this year, but one thing’s for sure – the Cartmel restaurant is still undoubtedly one of the most innovative and outstanding in the country.

Who’s to say that persistence doesn’t eventually pay off? Dublin’s Chapter One first opened in 1992 by Ross Lewis and was awarded its first star in 2007. Now, fifteen years later, with Lewis having handed over the reins in the kitchen to chef Mickael Viljanen, it has its second. The award-winning Finnish chef has brought the flare that won him two stars at The Greenhouse with him, cooking striking yet sophisticated dishes grounded in classical technique, and it’s clearly had an immediate impact.

Another chef who we’ve tipped to make the step up to two stars for a few years is Ikoyi’s Jeremy Chan, who has been dazzling diners since 2017. Through sheer determination, he’s now been rewarded. Chan’s intriguing menu showcases the best of Britain’s seasonal produce in a unique way, unchained by cuisines or specific styles – although it’s known for its use of West African spices and ingredients. This has seen Ikoyi fast develop into one of London’s most exciting and unique fine dining restaurants.

Sitting a few miles outside of Dublin city centre in the suburb of Blackrock, Damien Gray’s tiny restaurant Liath only won its first star back in 2020. However, over the past year Gray has been constantly reworking the produce-led menu, elevating his contemporary dishes to new heights, while over lockdown the interiors were also revamped to give Liath a more stylish feel. Having now won its second star within just three years of opening, it looks like all the hard work has paid off.

Given the fact The Clove Club consistently ranks in the fifty best restaurants in the world, we’re not surprised to see Isaac McHale and his team win another star at the renowned Shoreditch spot. McHale puts a real emphasis on using only the most exceptional ingredients available in his beautiful dishes and ensures that each individual element is given just as much attention the next. It’s this level of care and precision that has cemented The Clove Club as one of London’s finest.

For over five years now, Gareth Ward has been treating guests to some of the most imaginative food in the whole of Wales at his idyllic restaurant-with-rooms Ynyshir – and his stunning cookery has now been recognised with a second Michelin star. Serving up a culinary journey of a menu that normally features up to thirty tiny plates, Ward’s food champions Welsh produce with dishes influenced by a variety of Asian flavours. With the chefs delivering the food to diners themselves, Ynyshir offers a semi-immersive experience but one that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

Named after a type of traditional iron pot which the restaurant still uses to make their bread, Dublin’s Bastible is actually anything but old-fashioned. Chef-owner Barry Fitzgerald’s set menu of modern, stripped-back plates is centred around seasonal Irish produce, putting flavour at the forefront of the dishes. Year after year the Irish capital’s food scene becomes more and more highly regarded; that’s thanks to restaurants like Bastibel, which has now won its first Michelin star less than two years after opening.

The Selby brothers have been on a lot of people’s radars for a while and a year after opening chef’s table restaurant Evelyn’s Table in Soho, they’ve been recognised by the guide. Not only did 2022 see Evelyn’s Table win its first Michelin star for its Japanese-influenced menu, but Luke, Nat and Theo were also jointly awarded Michelin’s young chef award, crowning an amazing achievement for the brothers. Hidden beneath Soho’s Blue Posts pub, Evelyn’s Table may be easy to miss, but head inside and you won’t regret it.

Sometimes you have to wonder what certain chefs have to do to win a Michelin star. Over the past ten years Adam Handling has established himself as one of the UK’s most hardworking chefs and has opened a whole host of different restaurants in London and further afield – but until now, didn’t have a star to show for it. It seems fitting then that Handling has now picked up his first star at his Covent Garden restaurant Frog by Adam Handling, which first opened back in 2017.

One of two Scottish spots winning a star in the 2022 guide, The Glenturret Lalique is an intimate yet decadent restaurant found within the country’s oldest working whisky distillery. With its kitchen overseen by head chef Mark Donald (who previously held a star at Number One at The Balmoral), The Glenturret’s menu was always set to impress but it’s the food’s playfulness and variety of different influences that seems to be really turning heads.

You’ll struggle to find a restaurant in Dublin with a more prime location than that of Glovers Alley, which is found within The Fitzwilliam Hotel overlooking the beautiful St Stephen’s Green. But it’s chef Andy Mcfadden’s bold cookery that’s put this Irish restaurant on the map and earned it a star in the Guide. His refined yet elegant dishes marry stunning Irish produce with intense flavours, sometimes from further afield, to create plates that are truly memorable yet still approachable.

It’s been a tough couple of years for chef James Sommerin, who had to close down his eponymous Michelin-starred Welsh restaurant due to the pandemic. However, like all the best chefs do, he picked himself up, dusted himself off and set out to open not one but two new restaurants. Just two years on, he’s won a star once again at his new intimate Penarth restaurant Home. Staffed almost solely by the Sommerin family, this is a restaurant from James’ heart and the food is too; the menu is all about making use of the area’s amazing local produce and is kept a surprise unless guests are tempted to open the envelope on their table.

London has fast developed a reputation worldwide for being one of the best cities to enjoy Indian food at all levels, and now Mayfair’s Jamavar has joined the capital’s ever-growing list of Indian restaurants recognised by the Guide. Having previously held a star until former head chef Rohit Ghai left in 2018, executive chef Surender Mohan has now regained it thanks to his fun, flavour-packed tasting menu of regional dishes, as well as Jamavar’s separate a la carte, comprised of small plates designed to be shared.

It was one of London’s most talked about new restaurants of the past couple of years and now Kol has been recognised with its first Michelin star. The debut restaurant of ex-Noma Mexico chef Santiago Lastra, Kol is taking Mexican food to a level that the capital has never seen before, using exquisite British produce to create decadent takes on classic Mexican dishes. Complete with stunning interiors, an open-kitchen and a hidden mezcaleria hiding below, Kol ticks all the right boxes for a high-end restaurant but has plenty of personality as well.

As head chef of Morston Hall for a number of years, Greg Anderson held a Michelin star but now he has one for his very own restaurant. Found in the charming Norfolk town of Holt, Meadowsweet is just as idyllic as it sounds; based inside a Georgian house, which the chef and his wife restored themselves, the beautiful dining room is the perfect location to enjoy Anderson’s creative tasting menu, which puts sustainably sourced local produce at the forefront.

It’s one thing to make it into the Michelin guide just nine months after opening, but to win both a Michelin star and one of the Guide’s sustainability focused green stars at the first time of asking is pretty special, and that’s exactly what Pine in Northumberland has done. The debut restaurant of Cal Byerley and Siân Buchan is found on the first floor of Vallum Farm, a creative business park near Hadrian’s Wall, and has been lauded for showcasing Northumbrian ingredients, including locally foraged herbs and produce grown in the kitchen garden through a vibrant multi-course tasting menu.

Until recently Korean food hadn’t gained a massive amount of attention in the UK, let alone been recognised by the Michelin guide. However, Southwark’s Sollip is trying to change that and has now been awarded its first star. Run by a Korean husband-and-wife team who met whilst training in London, the food at Sollip represents this combination of influences, with traditional Korean flavours and techniques given a European spin to create one of London’s most unique new offerings.

Winning its first star and Michelin’s opening of the year award to boot, Wales’ SW23 is the brainchild of chef Nathan Davies who is a protégée of Ynyshir’s Gareth Ward. Situated in the seaside town of Aberystwyth, his debut restaurant’s ten-course tasting menu demonstrates a whole host of different techniques, with pickling, fermentation and cooking over the charcoal grill all playing important roles and ensuring the food has amazing depth of flavour.

With Moor Hall’s main restaurant consistently ranking amongst the best in the country and being touted for a third Michelin star in the near future, Mark Birchall’s less formal neighbourhood restaurant The Barn has somewhat flown under the radar, but it now has a star of its own. Like its sister restaurant, much of the produce used at The Barn comes from the huge grounds of the hotel but here Birchall and head chef Nathan Cornwell offer more pared-back combinations on the a la carte menu, whilst the three-course set lunch menu offers amazing value at just £32.

Owners of the one-starred Fordwich Arms, Dan Smith and his wife Natasha can seemingly do no wrong. After the success of their first pub which is currently ranked in the top ten gastropubs in the UK, in 2021 they opened The Bridge Arms in the Nailbourne Valley and now appear to have another hit on their hands. Comforting dishes are elevated skilfully to create a refined menu which champions quality local ingredients, whilst plenty of plates are cooked over locally produced charcoal.

Winning a Michelin star isn’t always about reinventing the wheel and no one demonstrates that better than Ben Queen-Fryer at Skelton’s The Dog and Gun. The chef-owner’s simple yet refined takes on classic dishes at his Cumbrian pub, such as suet pudding, cheese soufflé and chocolate tart, are packed with flavour and brilliantly showcase Cumbria’s fantastic produce. What’s more, you’ll still get the odd local popping in for a pint and some of the pub’s exceptional triple-cooked chips.

When we first heard that ex-head chef at the legendary Fat Duck Jonny Lake was leaving the Bray restaurant after twelve years to open his own place, we knew it was only a matter of time before he won a star of his own. Lake’s stylish Southwark restaurant Trivet, which he co-owns with The Fat Duck’s former head sommelier Isa Bal, serves an impressive a la carte menu which doesn’t tie itself down to one particular cuisine in terms of influences, and is accompanied by one of London’s most impressive and varied wine lists.

Glasgow’s only new star of 2022 went to chef Graham Cheevers’ debut restaurant Unalome. After years spent working in many of Scotland’s most renowned kitchens, Cheevers set out to open a place of his own and found an impressive period building in buzzy Finnieston. Unalome’s menu is undoubtedly grounded in classical technique but every dish on both the a la carte and tasting menu has an air of sophistication, whilst Scottish produce is championed across the board.

Winning Lichfield its first Michelin star just months after opening, Tom Shepherd’s debut restaurant Upstairs has been a lifelong ambition for the chef. Located above his father’s jewellery shop, Upstairs’ beautifully presented dishes aren’t over-complicated but are certainly all very carefully thought through. Diners can choose between a five or seven course tasting menu, served in the restaurant’s impressive, contemporary dining room.

After having to close his original Wild Honey in Mayfair, Anthony Demetre opened Wild Honey St James in 2019 and now, just three years later, the renowned chef has a Michelin star to show for his persistence. His grand brasserie may be accessed by an entrance on Pall Mall, but the European menu is by no means showy. Dishes may come simply presented but the skill in the cooking is immediately apparent once you start eating, with everything that leaves the kitchen having a sublime depth of flavour.