The MICHELIN® Guide: Great Britain and Ireland 2004 - ViaMichelin

Press Contact :
Michelin Travel Publications
Paul Cordle
Tel.: 01782 402341 / Fax: 01782 401751
e-mail : paul-m.cordle@uk.michelin.com
Press release available on:
www.michelin.co.uk
PRESS
RELEASE

The MICHELIN Guide : An authority in its field, the hotel and restaurant guide
offers a selection of establishments every year in a variety of categories.
The MICHELIN Guide : proud of its independence and rigorous in the quality of
its decisions.
The MICHELIN Guide offers you a selection of the best hotels and restaurants
in every category, at prices to suit all budgets. The choices are made by our
team of inspectors, who travel across the country, all year round, visiting new
and existing establishments, looking for consistent quality for the customer.
They are full-time professionals who work anonymously and independently.
The facilities and services on offer are indicated by symbols, an international
language that allows you to check at a glance whether an establishment has a
pool or a car park, for example. To get the most out of this mine of useful
information, simply consult the introduction. A descriptive commentary,
setting the scene and capturing the atmosphere, adds even more to the
listings.
Following the success of the Bib Gourmand establishments offering « good
food at moderate prices », Michelin is adding the Bib Hotel for « good
accommodation at moderate prices ». Bib Hotels first entered some of the
Guides in 2003, and now appear throughout the collection.
The Michelin Guide selection also includes special categories unique to
particular countries : In the Great Britain & Ireland guide this includes a
selection of inexpensive guesthouses and traditional pubs serving good food.
Of the 45,000 hotels and restaurants listed in the Michelin collection
throughout Europe in 2004, The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland includes
5621 establishments.
Among these are the new stars for 2004 : a new three star restaurant – the Fat
Duck, Bray-on-Thames, a new two star restaurant – Hibiscus, Ludlow and 14
one star restaurants including two pubs – The Greyhound, Stockbridge and
The Trouble House, Tetbury.
The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland is published on 16 January 2004
priced at £15.99.

A Close-up on 2004
Of course, the MICHELIN Guide is famous for choosing the finest gastronomy
and the most luxurious hotels, but just as important are the other
establishments across the categories that are picked out by our inspectors for
their excellent value for money.
During the week or at the weekend, on business or with family and friends, the
MICHELIN Guide lets everyone choose the kind of accommodation or
restaurant they want, at the right price !
THE BIB GOURMAND 4
Since 2000, The MICHELIN Guide has included a selection of Bib Gourmands –
highlighting « Good Food at Moderate Prices » – in every one of its titles.
This selection, represented by the 4 symbol, is very popular with our readers, who
appreciate its excellent value for money (less than £25 for a 3 course meal, or €36 in the
Republic of Ireland).
Boosted by the success of this selection, Michelin is adding the Bib Hotel symbol to the
Guide : a new category of unmissable addresses which brings the same value for money
associated with the Bib Gourmand, to hotels
THE BIB HOTEL
The MICHELIN Guide now offers its readers a new selection of establishments which will
suit everyone’s budget. This selection highlights places to stay which set a good quality
standard, at rates which won’t break the bank ! : « Good Accommodation at Moderate
Prices » (less than £65 for a double room, or €90 in the Republic of Ireland). A Bib Hotel
is practical and welcoming, offering a convenient location, the right service, comfort and
peace and quiet – a good, reliable choice all round
Bib Hotels are easy to spot : just look for the symbol showing Bibendum on a pillow

LOCAL SPECIALITIES IN EVERY SELECTION
The Guide also includes particular categories that are unique to each country, allowing you
to experience real local atmosphere at an affordable price. For example, the MICHELIN
Guide Great Britain & Ireland includes 289 dining pubs and 1143 guesthouses.
THE MICHELIN GUIDE : COMBINING PLEASURE AND PRACTICALITY
Simple to read when you’re out and about, the MICHELIN Guide is designed to make travel
easier. The MICHELIN Guide selects its establishments with a number of criteria in mind:
the famous symbols make them easy to identify. One glance is all it takes to pick out :
Rooms accessible to disabled people, w
Establishments which don’t allow dogs, u
Restaurants that serve meals on a terrace or in a garden, 5
Hotels with conference facilities, v
Wine served by the glass, -
Private car park for guests… 8
A number of other features make the guide even quicker and simpler to use :
A map of Great Britain & Ireland showing establishments with Stars, Bib Gourmands,
Bib Hotels and particularly pleasant and peaceful hotels.
Local maps showing the areas around major towns.
Town centre plans.
NEW FOR 2004
The Guide returns to its original name :
In response to demands from our customers, Michelin has decided to rename the guide by
readopting its original name : The MICHELIN Guide
New symbols mean new delights :

To meet the demands of our readers and reflect the local trends, the Guide has added two
new symbols :
Bib Hotel – good accommodation at moderate prices
ë Theatre menu -
for restaurants offering lower priced pre and/or post theatre menus.
MICHELIN Travel Publications introduces advertising :
From the very beginning, Michelin has been committed to meeting the needs of its customers
and offering them practical, innovative, high-quality products. We need extra investment to
extend our range of publications while maintaining our traditional hallmark standards of high
quality and reliability.
Michelin is opening its maps, plans, atlases, tourist guides and some hotel and restaurant
guides to external advertisers. As far as the MICHELIN Guide collection is concerned, the only
advertisements will be from the MICHELIN Group, promoting our own maps and guides or
other products from the Michelin Group (new tyres, competition, innovation and service)
The number of pages or spaces for advertisements in each publication will be strictly limited so
as not to alter the high-quality brand image of Michelin products or to inconvenience our
readers : a dozen or so pages in a tourist guide of over 300 pages…
Most importantly of all, we will preserve the independence on which Michelin’s reputation rests.
We will not include advertisements for any establishments which could be listed in the guides :
no hotels, no restaurants and no tourist sights.

The MICHELIN Guide stands for
reliability and quality
for our readers
Michelin’s selection :
- Michelin offers the largest pan-European selection of hotels and restaurants of any
publisher in Europe. This selection is updated every year : our inspectors make on-thespot
visits and we send out questionnaires to the hotels and restaurants, which gives us
up-to-date opening times and prices for the coming year. Taking all 11 titles together, we
make nearly 100,000 modifications every year : there are always new establishments to
add and tariffs and dates to revise. We are also greatly indebted to our readers, who
send in close to 50,000 letters and e-mails every year, covering the whole of Europe and
making an average of three comments per letter.
- The Guide is a selection of hotels and restaurants in each of our categories of price and
comfort. We select restaurants on the quality of their cuisine first and foremost, but the
welcome, service and comfort are also taken into account.
The couvert symbols from g to k denote the level of comfort in the restaurant (the quality
of the cover, crockery and cutlery, the size of the dining area, the number of staff and the
quality of service they provide).
Red couvert symbols i indicate a particularly pleasant or characterful restaurant or an
especially charming or peaceful location.
As for the cuisine itself, the Bib Gourmand E indicates good cooking, sometimes using
local specialities and produce, for a fixed price (no more than £25 for a 3 course meal, or
€36 in the Republic of Ireland).
Stars awarded for cuisine are for the meal served, and are only judged on the food. Our
criteria are : the quality of the ingredients and their preparation, the combination of
flavours, innovation, style and most importantly, a consistent high standard of all these
elements.

Michelin’s expertise :
The Michelin Guide’s two great strengths are :
Knowing our customers : By understanding the traveller’s needs and expectations, we
are able to improve our product, offering more, year after year.
Professionalism and experience : Our inspectors have received training in the field and
have worked in restaurants and hotels. They have the expertise to judge the quality of the
establishments they visit from an entirely objective point of view.
Michelin’s commitments :
Inspectors’ visits : The trademark policy for every establishment listed in the MICHELIN
Guide : Michelin relies on the practical knowledge and expertise of its teams of
inspectors. They are full-time professionals who share the same methods and practices
ensuring that their selections are consistent with one other. They make every effort to
ensure that their judgement will be valid and reliable for the whole year of the edition.
Independence : Opinions are formed objectively by hotel and restaurant experts, with
nothing asked in return. The inspectors visit each establishment, remain completely
anonymous and always pay their own bill. We are the only hotel and restaurant guide in
Europe to operate in this way. This working method is an absolute guarantee of
dedication and reliability for customers and professionals alike.
Respect for chefs and proprietors : The MICHELIN Guide is determined to uphold the
independence of chefs and proprietors in making their own decisions relating to the
management of the establishment or the free expression of their creativity in their cuisine.
Inclusion in the guide is completely free of charge. It’s up to the establishments to decide
whether or not to fill in and return the questionnaire. If they decide not to do so, we don’t
include them.

FOOD :
Hotel and Restaurant trends in
Great Britain and Ireland
The general standard of cooking continues to improve across the UK and this is
reflected in a greater geographical spread of new starred restaurants. The overall number of
restaurants continues to grow, particularly in counties where choice had hitherto been rather
limited and this increase is often heralded by the arrival in an area of several dining pubs.
Increased customer knowledge and expectations are the driving forces behind the universally
improving standards.
Those eating out continue to search out those restaurants offering value for money and the
establishments in turn are responding to life-style changes by offering more flexible opening
times and menus.
Clearly London has had a difficult year with a high number of restaurant closures but this has
been more than balanced with new establishments opening right across the capital, from
intimate neighbourhood bistros to high-concept West End operations. Competition remains
fierce, and customer loyalty the key, in a city where diversity and choice are its greatest
strengths.
ACCOMMODATION :
As with the restaurants, certain regions, such as Cornwall, Northumberland and Cumbria,
have flourished this year as more people holiday at home and hotels have responded by
investing heavily and improving their product. While many establishments have suffered from
the downturn in international travel, the customer has benefitted from more realistic room
rates and greater flexibility.
After many years of substantial growth in the number of new hotels, Ireland appears to have
finally reached capacity just as the downturn took hold and many establishments now face
challenging times.
In the UK a number of new hotel groups have appeared while existing groups have
consolidated their portfolios. We have also witnessed stronger branding and more aggressive
marketing.

The MICHELIN Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2004
statistics
4021
Hotels
ESTABLISHMENTS SELECTED
5621
Establishments
1600
Restaurants
26 e
Luxury in the
traditional style
m 1
171 d Top class comfort l 23
748 c Very comfortable k 135
960 b Comfortable j 710
973 a Quite comfortable i 442
1143 g
Other recommended
accommodation
Traditional pubs
serving food
h 289
66
238
e
to g
Bib Hotel
Particularly pleasant
establishments
355 t
Very quiet, secluded hotels
m to
h
BIB GOURMAND
4 Good food at moderate prices 111
o
96
MICHELIN STARS
p
11
q
3
84

o
New Michelin Stars 2004
TOWN COUNTY ESTABLISHMENT CHANGE
BRAY-ON-THAMES BERKS. FAT DUCK FROM 2 - 3 STARS
LUDLOW SHROPS. HIBISCUS FROM 1 - 2 STARS
ENGLAND
BIDDENDEN KENT THE WEST HOUSE GAINS 1 STAR
CUCKFIELD W.SUSSSEX OCKENDEN MANOR GAINS 1 STAR
LONGRIDGE LANCS. THE LONGRIDGE RESTAURANT GAINS 1 STAR
PETERSFIELD HANTS. JSW GAINS 1 STAR
ROCK CORNWALL BLACK PIG GAINS 1 STAR
STOCKBRIDGE HANTS. THE GREYHOUND GAINS 1 STAR
TETBURY GLOS. THE TROUBLE HOUSE GAINS 1 STAR
WINCHCOMBE GLOS. 5 NORTH ST. GAINS 1 STAR
SCOTLAND
BALLACHULISH HIGHLAND BALLACHULISH HOUSE GAINS 1 STAR
NORTHERN IRELAND
GILFORD DOWN THE ORIEL GAINS 1 STAR
LONDON
CHELSEA TOM AIKENS GAINS 1 STAR
TWICKENHAM McCLEMENTS GAINS 1 STAR
MAYFAIR MENU & GRILL (AT CONNAUGHT) GAINS 1 STAR
STRAND & COVENT
GARDEN
THE SAVOY GRILL GAINS 1 STAR

p
Deleted Michelin Stars 2004
TOWN COUNTY ESTABLISHMENT
LONDON
REGENT’S PARK & JOHN BURTON-RACE
MARYLEBONE (AT LANDMARK LONDON H.)
o
o
ENGLAND
BOURTON-ON-THE-
WATER
GLOS. LORDS OF THE MANOR
BRISTOL AVON HARVEYS
JERSEY (ST SAVIOUR) C.I. LONGUEVILLE MANOR
WELLS-NEXT-THE-SEA NORFOLK ROCOCO (AT THE CROWN H.)
YEOVIL SOMERSET PRIORY HOUSE
SCOTLAND
GLASGOW AMARYLLIS
WALES
ABERGAVENNY MONMOUTHSHIRE WALNUT TREE INN
MACHYNLLETH POWYS YNYSHIR HALL
LONDON
HAMPTON HILL MONSIEUR MAX
CITY OF LONDON CITY RHODES
VICTORIA RHODES IN THE SQUARE

4
New « Bib Gourmand » Awards
« Good food at moderate prices »
TOWN ESTABLISHMENT
ENGLAND
BRAY-ON-THAMES RIVERSIDE BRASSERIE
CORBRIDGE THE ANGEL OF CORBRIDGE
DORKING THE STEPHAN LANGTON INN
EASINGWOLD THE DURHAM OX
HUSTHWAITE THE ROASTED PEPPER
JERSEY (AT GOREY) VILLAGE BISTRO
LIVERPOOL SIMPLY HEATHCOTES
LYDFORD DARTMOOR INN
MANCHESTER CAFE JEM & I
NORWICH WILDERBEEST ARMS
PRESTON INSIDE OUT
RAMSBOTTOM RAMSONS
RYE LANDGATE BISTRO
STAMFORD THE JACKSON STOPS INN
TYNEMOUTH SIDNEY’S
SCOTLAND
TARBERT (KINTYRE PENINSULA) ANCHORAGE
WALES
BRIDGEND FROLICS
NORTHERN IRELAND
BUSHMILLS DISTILLERS ARMS
LONDON
CAMDEN SAMPHIRE
TWICKENHAM MA CUISINE
SOHO SOHO SPICE

4
Deletions of « Bib Gourmand »
« Good food at moderate prices »
TOWN ESTABLISHMENT
ENGLAND
BIRMINGHAM LE PETIT BLANC
BLACKPOOL SEPTEMBER BRASSERIE
COLN ST. ALDWYNS THE COURTYARD BAR (AT NEW INN AT COLN)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE CAFE 21 (AT PONTELAND)
OXFORD LE PETIT BLANC
SHEFFIELD RAFTERS
STANTON LEAPING HARE
TETBURY THE TROUBLE HOUSE (NOW o)
TURVILLE BULL & BUTCHER
WALES
BRECON THE WHITE SWAN
KNIGHTON THE WATERDINE
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
DUNLAOGHAIRE DUZY’S CAFE
EDENKERRY TYRRELLS
KILKENNY ZUNI
LONDON
CAMDEN PAOLO
HAMMERSMITH MAQUIS
KENSINGTON TIMO
PUTNEY THE PHOENIX
SOHO IL FORNO

New « Bib Hotel » Awards
« Good accommodation at moderate prices »
TOWN ESTABLISHMENT
ENGLAND
BARNARD CASTLE GRETA HOUSE
BURY ST EDMUNDS MANOR HOUSE
CHIPPING CAMPDEN MYRTLE HOUSE
EAST DEREHAM PEACOCK HOUSE
EXETER SILVERSPRINGS
FALMOUTH MELVILL HOUSE
FALMOUTH ROSEMULLION
HALLAND SHORTGATE MANOR FARM
HELSTON COBBLERS COTTAGE
HEXHAM WEST CLOSE HOUSE
IPSWICH HIGHFIELD
IRONBRIDGE THE LIBRARY HOUSE
IRONBRIDGE BRIDGE HOUSE
KEDINGTON THE WHITE HOUSE
NANTWICH THE LIMES
NORTH BOVEY THE GATE HOUSE
PICKERING BRAMWOOD
ROCHDALE HINDLE PASTURES
ROCHDALE HOLLINGWORTH LAKE
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON PEAR TREE COTTAGE
SYMONDS YAT WEST NORTON HOUSE
TAUNTON MERYAN HOUSE
WAREHAM GOLD COURT HOUSE
WELLS BEACONSFIELD FARM
WHITBY THE LAWNS
WINCHELSEA STRAND HOUSE
YOXFORD CHURCH FARM

New « Bib Hotel » Awards
« Good accommodation at moderate prices »
TOWN ESTABLISHMENT
SCOTLAND
ABOYNE ARBOR LODGE
BANCHORY THE OLD WEST MANSE
BRORA GLENAVERON
DALRY LANGSIDE FARM
DUMFRIES REDBANK HOUSE
DUNKELD LETTER FARM
MELROSE TWELVE OF MELROSE
MOFFAT BURNSIDE
NORTH BERWICK BEACH LODGE
OBAN THE BARRIEMORE
PEBBLES DILKUSHA HOUSE
ST BOSWELLS CLINT LODGE
STRATHPEFFER CRAIGVAR
THORNHILL GILLBANK HOUSE
ULLAPOOL POINT COTTAGE
WALES
DOLGELLAU TYDDYN MAWR
LLANDRINDOD WELLS GUIDFA HOUSE
LLANDUDNO LYMPLEY LODGE
LLANGOLLEN OAKMERE
RUTHIN FIRGROVE
NORTHERN IRELAND
BANGOR CAIRN BAY LODGE
CRUMLIN CALDHAME LODGE
DOWNPATRICK PHEASANTS’ HILL FARM

New « Bib Hotel » Awards
« Good accommodation at moderate prices »
TOWN ESTABLISHMENT
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
BALLYVAUGHAN DRUMCREEHY HOUSE
CARLINGFORD BEAUFORT HOUSE
CARLOW BARROWVILLE TOWN HOUSE
CASHEL AULBER HOUSE
DINGLE CLEEVAUN
DROGHEDA BOYNE HAVEN HOUSE
DROGHEDA TULLYESKER HOUSE
ENNIS FOUNTAIN COURT
KILCUMMIN THE SHORES COUNTRY HOUSE
LIMERICK ACACIA COTTAGE
NAVAN MA DWYERS
NEW ROSS RIVERSDALE HOUSE
OUGHTERARD WATERFALL LODGE
ROSSLARE HARBOUR ST MARTIN’S
TOORMORE FORTVIEW HOUSE
TRAMORE GLENORNEY