Gordon Ramsay turns out to be London's big winner at the 2026 Michelin reveal

The Michelin juggernaut arrived in Dublin this week for the 2026 reveal of its UK and Ireland stars. It was the first time that the ceremony had been held in Ireland and a quick look at Instagram in the run up showed a host of London-based chefs enjoying themselves in Dublin pubs.

Having covered many, many Michelin events in the past we know that it's always a slightly painful experience to watch live; clearly no-one at Michelin has ever heard of an autocue. But we have to say that the addition of Lisa Hogan (Jeremy Clarkson's very much better half) on stage didn't improve things all that much.

Young chef for one to watch was Tom Earnshaw from Bohemia in Jersey who when asked to say what it was like working in Jersey gave the event its first great soundbite of the night by replying; "Fucking hell I really don't know what to say."

London didn't pick up any Michelin green stars this year, so we had to wait with baited breath for the main stars to be revealed. While we were waiting for that, the Opening of the Year went to Shwen Shwen in Sevenoaks. Owner xx said: "we represent the unrepresented, which is Sierra Leone".

Then Gordon Ramsay was welcomed on to stage, and asked why he wanted to do his Michelin-focused show Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars. "It's some of the most difficult challenging times," said Ramsay, "so it's about time we put the spotlight on greatness." He then announced the sommelier award which saw London get the first award with the talented Roxane from Row on 5 being chosen for this year's gong. Next was the Michelin service award which was a home win for Ireland with Kinsale's Saint Francis Provisions who said the secret to great service was "liking your customers" which is something probably everyone in service could get behind.

In total there were nine new one-stars awarded to London restaurants, one fewer than last year. Those were as follows;

• Legado
• Tom Brown at The Capital
• Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High
• Ambassadors Clubhouse
• Somssi by Jihun Kim
• Labombe by Trivet
• The Kerfield Arms
• Michael Caines at The Stafford
• Corenucopia by Clare Smyth

Next up were a couple of new two stars, both of which went to London restaurants. The first was Row on 5 which doubled its star count from last year. "It's a dream to work in and a dream to cook in," said chef Spencer Metzger. "Our guests are amazing - it's very special."

But the biggest win of the night went to new Mayfair restaurant Bonheur by Matt Abé which went straight in at two stars, an amazing achievement given the fact it only opened three months ago. Given that the restaurant was supported by Abé former boss Gordon, we expect that the two of them went on to enjoy a pint or three of Guinness in Dublin after the ceremony.

As for the home team in Ireland, we're delighted that the first new star of this year's event went to the Pullman Restaurant at Glenlo Abbey in Galway in the west of Ireland. It's about a 10 minute drive from our family home there, so that's gone straight on our must-visit list.