It’s almost impossible to know what makes a restaurant deserving of the often elusive third Michelin star, given that two-Michelin-starred restaurants are usually already faultless. However, in 2021 two restaurants (Core by Clare Smyth and Hélène Darroze at The Connaught) were awarded a third Michelin star in the same year for the first time since 1995, suggesting that the guide is perhaps starting to realise that more than just a smattering of restaurants are worthy of its highest honour. If we were to see another restaurant upgraded to three stars this year, our best bets would be on Simon Rogan's L'Enclume, Mark Birchall's Moor Hall or Claude Bosi at Bibendum – but at this level of cooking, it's tricky to understand what a restaurant has to do to make the jump to the top tier.

There are over 150 one-starred restaurants in the UK, which means plenty of opportunities for new two-star restaurants this year. To become a two-starred restaurant means you're doing something really special; the cooking has to be faultless day in, day out, and while Michelin stresses that the stars are concerned only by the food on the plate, it's hard to imagine a two-star restaurant without impeccable service and a beautiful dining room too. These are the restaurants we reckon could be getting a second star this year.

Since opening its doors in 2017 chef Jeremy Chan, together with director Iré Hassan-Odukale, has been thrilling diners at Ikoyi with his evolving, tough to define menu. Often mislabelled as a West African-inspired restaurant due to the handful of ingredients from the region appearing on the menu, the menu at Ikoyi is in fact a celebration of the very best, super seasonal produce of Britain seen through a totally unique lens. The intelligent cooking has put Ikoyi on the world stage – and a second star can't be far away.

Widely regarded as the oldest gastropub in the UK, The Angel at Hetton was bought by Michael Wignall in 2018 and within a year had won its first Michelin star. Since then, Wignall, who formerly held two stars at The Latymer, has continued to refine both the building and the menu, and when we visited late last year we were blown away by the precise, artful cookery. Could this convince the inspectors to give The Angel a second star?

A couple of years ago we predicted that Endo Kazutoshi’s eponymous London Japanese restaurant could gain two stars in its first year of opening. It was ultimately awarded one star in the 2020 guide but as Kazutoshi continues to prepare arguably the finest sushi in the capital for just a handful of diners every night, we wonder if this could be the year he wins his second.

Kyoto-style Mayfair restaurant Umu has been a regular in the Michelin guide since it opened in 2004, but in 2021 it was demoted from two stars to one due to chef Yoshinori Ishii leaving the restaurant in late 2020. With former head chef Ryo Kamatsu having now taken over as executive chef, you can be certain that one of his biggest missions will be to win back that second star and we wouldn’t bet against him doing it at the first time of asking.

Another restaurant we’ve tipped to get a second star a few times before is Gareth Ward’s Ynyshir and we continue to be surprised that it’s yet to be upgraded. The stunning rural Welsh restaurant serves course after course of intensely flavoured dishes that champion local produce, with plenty of Asian influences and preserves building extra layers of flavour. Could 2022 finally be its year?

A change in chef at a restaurant usually means a restaurant either retaining or losing its star, but at Dublin’s Chapter One we wouldn’t be surprised to see it being awarded a second. After almost thirty years in charge, co-owner Ross Lewis brought in award-winning Finnish chef Mickael Viljanen, who won two stars at The Greenhouse, to take charge of the kitchen and his fresh approach might just be what Chapter One needs to go the extra step.

The busiest part of the Michelin Guide announcement is always the flurry of new one-star restaurants. Every year anywhere between 10-25 establishments across the UK are bestowed with their first Michelin star, and with plenty of exciting new spots having thrown open their doors over the past year as well as more established ones starting to really hit their stride, you can be sure 2022 will be no different. A further element of excitement has also been added by Michelin this year, as they’ve have been drip-feeding us monthly with new restaurants that we can expect to see in the Guide, some of which may be winning a prestigious star.

One such restaurant which will certainly be appearing somewhere in the guide is Lyme Regis’ Robin Wylde, where chef Harriet Mansell has been garnering plenty of attention for her locally-sourced, super-seasonal, often-foraged, always delicious food. We think it ticks a lot of Michelin's boxes.

Luke French’s exciting Sheffield restaurant housed inside a shipping container put the city on the fine dining map – and in the past year or so the offering has certainly gone up a gear. With Asian-influenced modern British food only becoming more and more popular, you feel this could be French’s year – so long as the corrugated iron walls aren't a step too far for the Michelin inspectors.

The coronavirus pandemic led to a devastating number of restaurant closures around the UK and James Sommerin’s eponymous Michelin-starred spot in Penarth was one of those forced to shut up shop. However, just a year after closing he opened his new restaurant Home in the same Welsh town, and we expect to see the chef win back his star at the first time of trying this year.

Having spent years working behind the scenes with the likes of Simon Rogan, Mark Birchall and then restaurant group JKS as a development chef, it’s unsurprising that Chet Sharma’s debut restaurant Bibi has a lot of flare to it. Given how much of a storm his complex modern Indian food is going down in London, we think it could be in with a shot of winning a star within a year of opening.

The three Selby brothers have been on a lot of our radars for a while now, particularly ex-head chef of HIDE Luke – but it wasn’t until last year that they finally opened a restaurant of their own. Hidden under Soho’s Blue Posts pub, Evelyn’s Table is a ten-seater chef’s table restaurant which showcases the brothers’ Japanese-influenced style, and with Michelin having already announced that it will be in the guide, the Selby’s could be getting a first star of their own.

It seemed like an age between chef Santiago Lastra announcing his debut restaurant KOL and it finally opening its doors in 2020, but the ex-Noma Mexico head chef’s food was worth the wait. London – and indeed the world – hasn’t seen Mexican food mixed with British ingredients before and we certainly think KOL is worthy of a star in this year’s guide.

Glasgow’s restaurant scene seems to be constantly on the up at the moment and one of the most recent additions to the city’s growing collection of fine dining spots is chef Graeme Cheevers’ first restaurant Unalome. Having previously won a star as head chef at Isle of Eriska and with plenty of Michelin experience before that, we think his Scottish produce-led food at Unalome might bring him glory once again, with Michelin having already confirmed it will appear in the guide.

Another restaurant that we’ve tipped for glory in the past, Kutir just seems destined to win a star at some point given chef Rohit Ghai’s impressive past form (winning a star at Jamavar just ten months after it opened). Let’s see if 2022 is the year Kutir’s flavour-packed menu gets the nod.

In 2019, Tom Booton became the youngest head chef in The Grill at the Dorchester’s ninety-year history and quickly set about transforming the restaurant’s modern British offering. Booton has already held a Michelin star as head chef at Alyn Williams at The Westbury, and it seems highly likely that he could be the man to bring The Grill its first ever star.

Restaurants that cook a lot of their offering over fire are growing in popularity and that’s exactly what Nathan Davies is doing at his restaurant SY23 in Aberystwyth. Michelin have already told us that SY23 will be appearing in the 2022 guide but we reckon it could end up being the latest addition to Wales’ growing list of Michelin-starred restaurants.

Farm-to-fork is a term that people hear almost too often in recent years but at The Small Holding in Kent, chef Will Devlin is redefining the meaning of the phrase, growing so much of his produce on site that the restaurant’s almost entirely self-sufficient. After becoming one of the first ever recipients of a green star in last year’s guide, we can see The Small Holding gaining a red one to add to the collection this year.

Whenever you dine at a restaurant with Simon Rogan’s name on the door, you know you’re in for a treat – but there’s something particularly special about the chef’s intimate eight-seater restaurant in the city. Showcasing Rogan’s signature style, Aulis gets fresh produce delivered daily from the chef’s farm in Cumbria. Quite frankly we’re not sure why Aulis doesn’t already have a star but perhaps 2022 is finally its time.

Another new restaurant which is guaranteed to be making some sort of appearance in the 2022 guide is Meadowsweet in Holt. Former head chef of Morston Hall Greg Anderson is serving up an impressive, ever-changing seasonal tasting menu of elegant small plates in this beautiful grade II-listed house and we think it’s likely he might be rewarded with a first Michelin star.

Our final punt for 2022 guide is Sam Buckley’s stunning Stockport restaurant Where The Light Gets In, which we absolutely loved when we visited last year. Another recipient of a green star in last year’s guide, this is a restaurant which takes seasonality more seriously than most while also using methods of preservation to extend the season of certain ingredients. Let’s hope the inspectors were as impressed as we were!