Our view of the National Restaurant Awards

So as we near the end of the award season, last night was yet another excuse to get dressed up. The National Restaurant awards in London coincided with the Restaurant show.

So having had the list for a little while now, it begs some of the same questions as when all these sort of award ceremonies happen. The chefs that strive for these sort of awards & recognition will always say the same word time & time again ~ consistency, yet these awards just don’t demonstrate this ethos. A number of weeks ago L’Enclume (36) was elevated to the very top tier in the AA guide book & Northcote Manor (26) was also elevated to 4 rosettes. In this poll, and from our understanding that is what it is (with around 300 people voting), both  have eclipsed the likes of Tom Aikens (93) and Gidleigh Park (71) by some distance.

Whilst we’d obviously like to congratulate everybody who made the list, and with all lists they are subjective but this list does show trends. Unfortunately Restaurant Gordon Ramsay falls a staggering 31 places and with the loss of a rosette last month, does this mean that there may be changes afoot in RHR? The Vineyard at Stockcross was 6 last year, this year it has completely fallen from the list despite gaining 3 rosettes.

Comparing the year on year changes there are some surprising omissions, where is Micheal Wignall, Bohemia & Hambleton Hall all 4 rosettes? Where is Deans in Belfast?

Will this list be validated by Michelin’s guide in January? Probably not, despite the general consensus that 1 or 2 higher end restaurants don’t deserve their rating in the little red book, they will still be maintained.

For the full National Restaurant Awards see here