The Harwood Arms, Fulham, London (awarded 2010)
The only pub in London to receive a Michelin Star, this fresh entry to the Michelin Guide looks to take diners to a “rural haven in the middle of Fulham”. The venture is the result of a collaboration between former restaurant, pub and brewery owners Brett Graham, Mike Robinson and Edwin Vaux, who serve up dishes including roast pheasant breast and green peppercorn sausage, buttermilk pudding with Scottish raspberries (in season) and whole roast Partridge on a Sunday.
Also picked out as best pub newcomer in the Good Food Guide 2010.
The Pipe & Glass Inn, Beverley, Yorkshire (2010)
Another newcomer, the Pipe and Glass Inn stands on the same East Yorkshire site as the official residence of Lord Hotham of South Dalton. The Pipe boasts a wine list sourced entirely from small, local producers, several hand-pulled ales and ciders and a menu which features braised crispy “Burdass” lamb with a mutton and kidney faggot, fried wild rabbit rissoles and a baked beetroot and Lowna Dairy goat’s cheese tart.
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Also the winner of the Enjoy England Taste awards in 2009.
The Royal Oak, Paley Street, Berkshire (2010)
Michael Parkinson and son’s cosy family affair is the third to be awarded a Michelin Star in this year’s guide, and the legendary chat-show host is thrilled to bits. He told The Times it was the Scotch eggs what won it, but one suspects it was anything from the fried Cornish Sprats, to the butternut squash risotto, or the peppered haunch of venison with creamed spinach.
The Neptune Inn, Hunstanton, Norfolk (2009)
The Neptune started life as an 18th-century coaching inn, and husband and wife duo Kevin and Jacki Mangeolles have worked hard to maintain its sense of tradition. At the same time, they’ve managed to work in a modern British menu featuring locally landed fillet of monkfish, globe artichoke salad with a deep fried hen’s egg and a loin of hare with a celeriac tart.
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We mentioned it last year in a foodie breaks round-up
The Hand & Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire (2009)
The 2007 AA Restaurant Guide mused that Tom and Beth Kerridge’s pub gives “a rather unassuming first impression”. Once inside, though, it’s easy to see why a consistently warm atmosphere won the pair a full six awards before the end of its first year, not to mention the Somerset smoked eel, Telmara farm duck en croûte and warm pistachio sponge cake on the menu.
We included it in a round-up around this time last year when it was offering a spectacularly good value lunch menu.
The Nut Tree Inn, Murcott, Oxfordshire (2009)
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The Nut Tree was always on the wish list of local boy Mike North. In 2006, he finally bought the pub with fiancée Imogen and the couple’s passion for the area is certainly evident, none more so than in their promise that the Nut Tree is “still somewhere you can stop and have a pint or relaxing drink at the end of a hard day’s work”. On the menu are Pave of Nut Tree smoked Orkney salmon with Avruga caviar, alongside grilled fillet of aged beef with triple cooked chips and a hot passion fruit soufflé.
The Olive Branch and Beech House, Clipsham, Rutland (2008)
The two pubs, which stand opposite each other in the tiny village of Clipsham, are both owned by Olive Inns. The small, family-owned group that turned a run-down set of cottages into the award-winning Olive Branch also own the Red Lion in Stathern, itself no stranger to recognition from the critics. Expect to indulge in fresh fillet of turbot and crab ravioli, as well as a more traditional Olive Branch fish and chips with tomato sauce and minted peas.
Read our Beech House review.
The Masons Arms, Knowstone, Devon (2006)
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Mark Dodson can’t have failed to be influenced by his time working as head chef at the Waterside Inn in Bray for French culinary maestro Michel Roux. Still, he has created his own style at the Masons Arms. The pub, co-owned and run with wife Sarah, boasts a contemporary take on British and French classics - including seared scallops with a Thai salad, roulade of pork belly with braised red cabbage and pear and frangipane tart - which rightly earned the couple a Michelin Star in 2006.
The Star Inn, Harome, Yorkshire (2002)
Andrew and Jacquie Pern have owned the Starr for over ten years, succeeding in creating a “home” away from home for pub-goers. Their North Yorkshire hideaway has been winning awards since its opening, more than 30 in total, meaning its Michelin Star in 2002 can hardly have come as a surprise to the Perns. Dishes range from a “posh” prawn cocktail with marinated tomatoes, to a North Sea fish pie with melting Montgomery cheddar, and a baked ginger parkin with local rhubarb ripple ice cream.
Read our review on the accommodation side of the operation, albeit from a couple of years ago - let us know if you’ve had a different experience in the comments section below.
The Stagg Inn, Titley, Herefordshire (2001)
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As the first ever pub to win a Michelin Star in 2001, The Stagg has blazed trails in the gastro pub business for nearly ten years. Good old wooden tables, a refusal to indulge in background music and a reliance on traditional food and drink festivals add to a hearty, honest dining experience that’s complemented by menu choices including Madgett’s farm duck breast with spiced rhubarb, trout tartare with tomato butter and bread and butter pudding with local clotted cream.
Read our review of The Stagg.