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Michelin Star Success In The North West

Last night, at a ceremony held at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow, a number of restaurants discovered that they had retained Michelin stars

This year’s event saw a multitude of chefs and hospitality professionals gather together from all over Great Britain and Ireland to celebrate the presentation of this year’s Bib Gourmands, Michelin Stars and Michelin Green Stars, as well as several Special Awards, including the Service Award, The Sommelier Award, the Mentor Chef Award, Opening of the Year, and the Young Chef Award.

During the ceremony, a total of 22 new Michelin One Star awards were presented, 5 new Michelin Green Stars and 3 new Michelin Two Star awards were presented, with 1 new Michelin Three Star award also presented this year. 36 Bib Gourmands were also announced.

(L-R)Beth & Jack co-owners of The Cottage in the Wood

Jack Bond & Beth Bond, co-owners of The Cottage in the Wood, Whinlatter, near Keswick, discovered that they had retained the restaurant with room's Michelin star for the second successive year under their tenure. The sixth consecutive year the restaurant has held the accolade since first being recognised with the award in 2019.

Jack and Beth Bond purchased The Cottage in the Wood in the summer of 2024, and since then, they have gone from strength to strength, being awarded three AA rosettes for culinary excellence, as well as being listed in SquareMeal’s Top 100 UK restaurants. Their ethos is simple, and that is to be inspired by their surroundings, to celebrate seasonality whilst also being mindful of the impact their business has on the environment in which they sit, and to mitigate that as much as possible to ensure their surroundings continue to flourish.

Notable dishes from The Cottage in the Wood’s dinner tasting menu include Lobster Croustade, tomato, yuzu, Celeriac Agnolotti, hazelnut, Monkfish, potato, peppercorn, Herdwick Lamb, maitake, marjoram and Blackberry, Riesling, crème fraiche.

We are totally thrilled to have retained The Cottage’s Michelin star. We’ve been on a rollercoaster journey buying the business last year, and as a team, we’ve grown and developed, and this continued recognition recognises and celebrates what we’ve all strived to achieve. Hopefully, our guests will agree that collectively, we’re in the process of creating something special, and this is just one more step on that road.

Jack & Beth Bond, co-owners of The Cottage in the Wood

(l-R)Kevin Tickle & Nicola Tickle owners of Heft Photo: Jenny Jones Photography

The team behind Lake District Inn, Heft, Newton in Cartmel, successfully retain their Michelin Star for a third successive year.

A well-deserved accolade from the world’s leading food bible is a glowing testament to the hard work and dedication of husband-and-wife Kevin and Nicola Tickle and the entire Heft team, which has placed the Inn back at the heart of the village since opening the doors in 2021.

(L-R)Herdwick dumpling and broth, Town Head Farm Herdwick hogget, violet artichoke, minted yow's curd Photo: Jenny Jones Photography.

Stand-out tasting menu dishes include – Ham, egg & Doddington crumpet, Morel cooked in bone marrow, ewes curd, dittander and our guanciale, Scorched monkfish, heritage potato,  Douglas fir, various seaweeds & apple, Wild Cumbrian red deer cooked over embers, turnip, smoked cherry, nasturtium, Rhubarb from the Tomlinson’s, goats milk, marigold, brown butter crunch, and Scorched pear glazed in pine, yoghurt, and ginger.

Retaining our Michelin star is fantastic news for the entire team. We’ve all worked really hard to get where we are and look forward to opening our guest rooms later this year. There’s lots to look forward to, and we’re going to continue to build on our success so far and push even harder in the coming years. We are massively proud of the journey we’re on and couldn’t have done it without our dedicated team, who have helped us every step of the way. This continued recognition represents everyone’s hard work in helping us to get to where we are, and we just want to say a big thank you to them.

Heft’s co-owners Kevin and Nicola Tickle

The Old Stamp House Photo: Phil Rigby Photography

Ambleside's The Old Stamp House retains its Michelin Star for a sixth consecutive year

The simple food philosophy of chef patron, Ryan Blackburn, really comes to the fore. When it comes to his food, Ryan is determined to serve fresh local produce wherever possible, delivered to the highest quality, whilst keeping the dishes served at the Old Stamp House innovative and exciting.

Yew Tree Farm Herdwick Hogget - Photo:Bacon on the Beech.

We’re all over the moon to have retained our Michelin Star for the sixth consecutive year. Every single member of the team ensures that every one of our guests has a truly memorable experience when they dine with us.

This recognition is a testament to the hard work and professionalism of every member of the team, as well as the suppliers, farmers, and producers we work with who help us deliver consistency and quality. Simply put, thank you to everyone involved in what we do.

Ryan Blackburn

The Schelley Photo: Phil Rigby Photography

The Schelly, Ambleside, led by the brothers behind The Old Stamp House, Ryan and Craig Blackburn, discovered that they had been presented with a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide.

The Schelley, which opened its doors in the summer of 2024, was included in the prestigious Michelin Guide within three months of opening its doors, has now become the only restaurant in Cumbria to hold a Bib Gourmand.

The Bib Gourmand distinction is the Michelin Guide’s way of recognising restaurants that offer good food at a great price. While all Bib Gourmands are unique in style and approach, they share the same spirit of generosity and a commitment to quality cooking. This year, no less than 36 restaurants have been newly awarded a Bib Gourmand, showing the wealth of restaurants around the UK and Ireland that are committed to offering affordable, high-quality cooking.

The Schelley Photo: Phil Rigby Photography

There’s no doubt that the Schelly team's simple seasonal food philosophy has already made its mark and is playing its part in helping to put Ambleside firmly on the Lake District’s food map.

The Michelin Guide bulletin of The Schelly reports:
'The brothers behind the nearby Old Stamp House (proud holder of One Michelin Star) run this bright and buzzing restaurant that is proudly local in its outlook. The Lake District’s abundance of brilliant produce powers the menu, with each dish so appetising and so satisfyingly executed that choosing what to order will be the hardest part of the visit.

When it comes to The Schelly’s food, Head Chef Dan Hopkins and chef-owner Ryan Blackburn make a point of cooking with fresh seasonal produce, to ensure every dish they produce delivers flavour and quality without the faff, all the while keeping the restaurant’s food innovative and exciting.

Being awarded a Bib Gourmand within six months of opening the doors of The Schelly is exactly what we were hoping to achieve. Head chef Dan, my brother Craig, and the rest of the team have really delivered in terms of the food and the level of service we wanted to achieve, bringing the restaurant to life in the process. We couldn’t be prouder of the entire team; this is down to the effort and dedication of every single one of them. Achieving a Bib and being the only one in Cumbria reflects the passion of all of us, and I can't think of a more deserving group of people to be recognised in this way.

The Schelly’s co-owner Ryan Blackburn