Michelin stars 2021: Clare Smyth and Helene Darroze big winners in London as stars announced

Female chefs led the way at this year’s Michelin awards, as Clare Smyth and Hélène Darroze came out on top, with both awarded three stars.

Michelin’s highest award, winning three stars is often considered the pinnacle of a chefs career, and is only ever achieved by a handful of restaurants. Darroze appeared close to tears on finding out she had won, saying she was thinking not only of her team, but also of “all the women working in kitchens.” She added that she hoped the news would show that “anything can happen”. 

Smyth, who previously held three stars at Gordon Ramsay’s flagship restaurant on Hospital Road, was marking the occasion with her kitchen team, who had spent the day working in the Notting Hill restaurant. 

Despite considerable scepticism from chefs and food media alike – unanswered questions were raised about how often inspectors would have been able to dine out during 2020 – the night was an emotionally-charged one, with chefs visibly moved by the awards, even more so than usual. After a punishing 10 months, it was a rare chance to celebrate. 

Michelin itself had recognised the oddity of publishing a guide for 2021, writing in a statement last week: “We are not blind to the harrowing times we live in and are more than aware of the hardships being faced by so many. No one can deny that what the hospitality industry is suffering through is nothing less than tragic.

“At a time when restaurants and pubs are closed, why then would we be launching a guide and awarding Stars? The answer is simple: we want to promote the industry as much as we possibly can. We want to celebrate the many amazing restaurants in Great Britain & Ireland and all the hugely talented chefs and restaurateurs. We want to shine a light on our industry, to keep people talking about it in the media and remind everyone of what we have, and to bring news of our great restaurants to a global audience.” 

The announcement of two three star places is unusual, as was the reveal of three new two star restaurants, Da Terra, Restaurant Story and A Wong, which became the first two star Chinese restaurant in the country. Writing on Instagram, the restaurant said: “We are all utterly speechless. The whole team wished that we could celebrate with you all, but that day will come." 

Other highlights of the evening included an elated Victor Garvey, who picked up his first star for Sola in Soho – the chef said he would be “drinking my bodyweight in pinot” to celebrate – and Tom Brown and his head chef James Toth finally winning a long-awaited star for Cornerstone in Hackney. Brown said the accolade was “the proudest moment of my career so far, but I genuinely can’t take credit for this… it’s all down to my incredible staff who give so much and work so hard every day.” 

Benares managed to regain a star it had previously lost.

There were those who were dropped from the influential guide this year. Mostly, these were restaurants who have closed since the last guide, including the once two-starred Greenhouse, Roganic, and Alyn Williams at The Westbury. Jason Atherton’s Social Eating House and Aquavit were the only places in London still operating to lose one star, while Umu dropped from two stars to one. Three other places across the country lost one star. 

Whether the decision to go ahead was right, wrong, irrelevant or not, the Michelin red book is still the most influential restaurant guide in Europe and this year’s inclusions are likely to bump struggling businesses, as they often do. 

Below is our live blog from the awards. 

A reminder of the criteria required for a star - it’s not all white tablecloths and tasting menus. Far from it. Officially, it’s fairly simple: