The 2011 Michelin guide to Great Britain and Ireland was announced today, resulting in the usual flurry of commentary, nods of agreement and shouts of disdain. Whatever your thoughts on the Michelin guide, it remains one of the best and most accurate guides to dining, despite its heavy focus on French haute cuisine, and it’s the one that restaurateurs and chefs most revere.

There are 143 Michelin starred restaurants in the UK as of today, 53 of which are in London, the highest number ever, which is a great recognition for the quality of restaurants in the country.

There are no changes at the 3 star level, meaning that Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Gordon Ramsay’s Royal Hospital Road, The Fat Duck and The Waterside Inn remain as the only 4 such establishments in the UK.  There are two additions at the 2 star level including Helene Darroze at The Connaught in London and Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Cornwall.

Gordon Ramsay’s gains 1 Michelin star for Petrus, along with Kitchen W8, Viajante in East London, Petersham Nurseries, 7 Park Place and Gauthier Soho. Galvin La Chapelle adds another star to the Galvin brothers’ portfolio following their success with Galvin at Windows last year, along with a Bib Gourmand (good food at reasonable prices) for Galvin Cafe a Vin.

Other notable additions in the Bib Gourmand category include the bloggers’ favourite, Polpo, Morito (Moro’s sister restaurant on Exmouth Market) and two new mid-priced Italians, Zucca in Bermondsey and Trullo in Islington.

However, it wasn’t good news for everyone – Nahm, the only Michelin starred Thai restaurant in the UK, has lost its star, along with Roussillon, where Alexis Gauthier retained a star before gaining one for his new restaurant Gauthier Soho this year. Notable deletions in the Bib Gourmand category include The Mondern Pantry and Gordon Ramsay’s Foxtrot Oscar.

The full list can be downloaded here.

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