Everyone’s talking about... Michelin stars
The Glenturret Lalique in Crieff, Perthshire, and Unalome in Glasgow have both received Michelin stars for the first time, which begs the big question: Why on earth does a tyre firm recommend fine dining?
The Michelin Guide genuinely started as a way to sell more tyres. In 1900, brothers Édouard and André Michelin wanted to highlight attractions around France, including restaurants attached to hotels, to encourage the country’s 3,000 car owners to drive more. A British guide followed in 1911. It originally awarded no stars and was free, but when André saw a tyre merchant using a guide to prop up a workbench, he decided it needed to be paid for.
What do the stars mean?
One officially means a ‘very good restaurant’, two ‘worth a detour’, three ‘worth a special journey’. The Guide also awards Plates to places that ‘simply serve good food’, Rising Stars to recognise potential, Green Stars for sustainable food and Bib Gourmands for ‘exceptionally good food at moderate prices’ (under £28 for three courses). This award is named after Bibendum, the company’s nickname for its Michelin Man mascot.
Who are the inspectors?
No one knows, and Michelin takes great care to keep it that way. They never identify themselves, and pay for their own meals, reimbursed by Michelin. They are even instructed not to tell their parents, lest they start bragging. One, Pascal Rémy, broke cover in 2004 to write a book depicting the job as a lonely, badly paid slog of endless driving and dining alone.
Any other controversies?
The guide has been accused of bias towards French cuisine. Of the world’s 134 three-star restaurants, France has 29. Britain has eight. But Tokyo is the most-awarded city. Then there are sexism claims: none of this year’s special awards to individual UK chefs went to a woman. Not that everyone wants recognition – Skye Gyngell tried to remove the star she won for her London cafe in 2011, saying it was a ‘curse’ that led customers to expect formal dining she didn’t offer. First-world problems!