Michelin praise for standards in pubs

Despite a lack of new stars awarded to the sector in the 2014 guide, Rebecca Burr said "pubs are on top" with a "tremendous standard".

"We are witnessing the next generation of talented British chefs and the evolution of British cooking," she told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser​.

"London is really to the fore and most new [restaurant] stars awarded were there. We are still finding it really easy to find Bib Gourmands and pubs lend themselves to that." Bib Gourmands are awarded for good food at moderate prices (below £28) and more than half of venues with the accolade in the guide are pubs.

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"We are seeing a lot of less structured, less formal venues and single concept places," she said. "I don’t think we have ever had such a variety. It always starts in London and slowly disperses to other places — I think the rest of the UK will catch up. Pubs have been transformed and some of the pubs with Bib Gourmands may develop into a star."

Thirteen pubs retained stars this year including Tom Kerridge’s Greene King tenancy the Hand & Flowers, which retained two. Burr said: "We are always looking at two stars but Tom Kerridge’s food is a cut above. To match his standards will be difficult as he is a great chef.

"There is a lot of publicity about pubs closing, but I don’t think that it is a bad thing in some cases as the focus has shifted to food. We have got to be careful in doing so because we don’t want the pubs turning into restaurants, but there is a good mix out there.

"It is a shame about the publicity because a lot of pubs are flourishing and I think the standard is tremendous."

The guide is out from Friday (4 October).