The Michelin Guide is an organisation shrouded in mystery – which all sounds very enigmatic for a French tyre manufacturer’s list of places it thinks we should eat. The even more mysterious ‘inspectors’ are completely anonymous, with battle-hardened stomachs and palates finely tuned over years in the industry, wielding the power to bestow up to three coveted 'stars'.

The guide started off life in 1900 as a way to encourage drivers to spend more time on all the newly built roads connecting twentieth-century France (and therefore wear their tyres out more quickly, so they would buy more!). Alongside points of interest drivers could head to across France, it contained information about how to change one of their tyres and how to fill a car with petrol. But it wasn’t until 1920 that the guide became something you had to pay for, with a list of hotels in Paris alongside ‘lists of restaurants according to specific categories’.

It was at this time that Michelin – then run by two brothers, Andre and Edouard – hired the first anonymous inspectors to evaluate the restaurants featured. It would be another six years before the Michelin stars were introduced and not until 1936 that the famed Michelin criteria were published for the first time. These criteria remain vague: one star represents ‘a very good restaurant in its category’, two stars means ‘excellent cooking, worth a detour’ with three denoting ‘exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey’.

Nearly 40 years would go by before the UK was to be recognised with Michelin stars, as the likes of Le Gavroche, Le Bressan, Chez Nico and The Box Tree in Ilkley were all among the first cohort to be awarded stars in 1974.

In 1982, following a move to Mayfair, the iconic Le Gavroche helmed by brothers Michel and Albert Roux became Britain’s first three-Michelin-starred restaurant, with their sister restaurant in Bray, The Waterside Inn, following with three stars just three years later.

This recognition from the Michelin Guide coincided with a decades-long explosion of restaurant openings, alongside a growing public interest in dining out. There is no question that the Michelin Guide helped diners navigate this new landscape of restaurants in the UK, and what is remarkable is that it did so while protecting the anonymity of its inspectors and keeping the details of its decision making under wraps.

But Michelin hasn’t been without its critics: the Guide’s detractors highlight its narrow-minded nature; that French or classical European food is historically most favoured by inspectors, and the lack of female representation throughout its history.

There is also long-term controversy about the Guide's lack of global presence, with nations such as Australia and India completely ignored by Michelin, alongside major American cities and the entire continent of Africa, which remain overlooked.

Criticism around culture and gender – and Michelin’s historic focus on fine-dining restaurants – has remained, but Michelin has made efforts to modernise. In 1997, Michelin created a new award, the Bib Gourmand, which seeks to recognise restaurants offering a better value dining experience. It’s often described as the most interesting category from Michelin, with a wider range of cuisines and styles on offer at a more accessible price point.

Fast forward to today and Michelin’s bias towards giving French fine-dining restaurants stars has slowly broadened to recognise cuisines from all over the world. Now everything from modern Thai food to new American dining has a star in Britain and evolution hasn't stopped there. Michelin created its Green Star as a recognition of sustainable practices in the industry, spotlighting the chefs and restaurants championing ecological practices at the highest possible level.

While French and British restaurants dominate Michelin’s highest accolade of three stars, the breadth of Michelin stars in the one and two-star categories is a testament to the calibre of the British dining scene.