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Surrey now has four Michelin-starred restaurants after Great British Menu winner Nick Beardshaw’s first solo opening was added to the prestigious list this year. After 26 restaurants were

honoured at this year’s award ceremony hosted by the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland, there are now 220 upper-crust eateries that hold a Michelin star. That includes Starling in

Esher, which was awarded its first star this year. It was opened by Nick Beardshaw, who won the BBC ’s Great British Menu in 2023. The Michelin Guide says Starling’s “lack of pretension

makes it all the more endearing”. It praised the menu as consisting of “the kind of seemingly straightforward dishes that are tricky to pull off yet so easy to eat”. The Guide said Nick’s

signature dish of Orkney scallop with Thai green curry sauce “is a prime example, the technical skill and balance of flavours shining through”. Nick said: “To have been awarded a Michelin

star within five months of opening is a true honour and my team and I could not be more proud. The hours of hard work, dedication and commitment have truly paid off and I really look forward

to ensuring we continue to create the ultimate neighbourhood restaurant that I always wanted Starling to be.” The other Surrey restaurants already honoured by Michelin are: Latymer, London

Road, Bagshot, Sorrel, 77 South Street, Dorking, The Tudor Pass, Great Fosters, Stroude Road, Egham The surrounding South East region is comparatively well-served with Michelin-star

restaurants with 20 outside Surrey, that includes: You can find out how close you are to your nearest Michelin-star restaurant using our interactive gadget. * Fat Duck, High Street, Bray *

Waterside Inn, Ferry Road, Bray * Hand and Flowers, 126 West Street, Marlow * hide and fox The Green, Saltwood (New addition) * Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Church Road, Great Milton *

Artichoke, 9 Market Square, Amersham * Ben Wilkinson at The Pass, Brighton Road, Lower Beeding, Horsham * Bridge Arms, 53 High Street, Bridge * Fordwich Arms, King Street, Fordwich *

Gravetye Manor, Vowels Lane, East Grinstead * Hinds Head, High Street, Bray * Interlude, Leonardslee Gardens, Brighton Road, Lower Beeding * Nut Tree Inn, Main Street, Murcott * The Coach, 3

West Street, Marlow * The Sportsman, Faversham Road, Seasalter * Woven by Adam Smith, Blacknest Road, Ascot The number of restaurants with a Michelin star has gone up in each of the last

five years, rising from 185 in 2021 and increasing by another 14 since 2024. But the options for fine dining depend even more on which part of the country you live in. While the South East

has 20 Michelin-star restaurants, there are just four in the North East and several major cities, including Leeds, Bradford, Southampton, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Leicester, and Coventry, do

not have any Michelin-star restaurants at all. “Modern cuisine” is the most common food served by Great Britain and Ireland’s Michelin-star restaurants. A third of restaurants in the list

(33%, or 73 restaurants) offer a modern cuisine menu, presenting cooking using new techniques, ingredients, and presentation. That can include dishes like the lobster, veal sweetbread,

champignons de Paris, pomme puree, and vin jaune d’Arbois served up on Valentine’s Day by the three-star Hélène Darroze at The Connaught in London’s Mayfair. “Modern British” (22% or 48

restaurants) and “creative” (6% or 14 restaurants) are the next most popular styles among Michelin-star restaurants. But - assuming diners are willing to travel far enough - they can find

Michelin-star restaurants catering to all manner of tastes, including Italian, French, Indian, Mediterranean, Chinese, Thai, Turkish, and traditional British. For the first time, a vegan

restaurant was added to the list of Michelin-star restaurants after the most recent awards ceremony. Plates London, located on Old Street, serves a fully plant-based menu, and chef Kirk

Haworth wowed judges by “taking his classical training and inventively adapting it to a vegan diet”, Michelin said. Ten restaurants now hold three stars, the highest honour, and 29 have two

stars. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE BEST PLACES TO EAT AND THINGS TO DO IN SURREY WITH OUR FREE WHAT’S ON EMAIL HERE.