The UK now has the two best restaurants in the world

published 12 October 2017

The UK is maligned for its food all across the globe - sometimes fairly. We only eat fish and chips, supposedly, and put beans on top of toast (apparently people think this is weird, but frankly, they’re the weird ones for not liking it).

However, I’ve got one thing to say to all you international haters: suck it, world! We now have the two best restaurants across the entire globe! Eat your humble baked bean pie, planet Earth.

Yes, according to TripAdvisor’s restaurant awards, which ranks restaurants worldwide based on customer reviews, a relatively unheard of restaurant in Yorkshire is the best place to eat on the planet, and the UK boasts three of the top 10.

The Black Swan, in Oldstead, North Yorkshire, took the crown. You may never have heard of it, but the country pub has a Michelin star and four AA rosettes, so it’s definitely the real deal.

The restaurant, which has been described as “traditional Yorkshire with a swirling mix of creativity and eccentricity”, has a £95 tasting menu which includes the likes of turbot with strawberries and cream, squid dressed in horseradish juice, and texel lamb with turnip and mint.

Here are a few pics, courtesy of their Instagram page:

The restaurant is owned by Tommy and James Banks, who took it over at the ages of just 19 and 17, and have clearly done an incredible job with the place. I mean, I want to eat all of that food, which should mean a lot to them, but what probably means more is that Tommy is the UK’s youngest Michelin-starred chef, and has appeared on shows like The Great British Menu.

The number two spot belongs to Raymond Blanc, and his Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Great Milton, Oxford, which has also been named Britain’s best hotel.

My parents have been there and assure me it’s absolutely brilliant, but if you don’t want to trust them, the two Michelin stars are also quite a good marker to go by.

Also, just look at the place (and its food):

The third UK restaurant that breaks into the top 10 is Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck, at Bray. If you know Heston, you’ll know the menu is like little else you’re likely to find world over, and it’s one of those restaurants that’s on everybody’s list should they happen to come into a huge amount of money at some point in the immediate future.

The full top 10 is as follows:

The Black Swan at Oldstead, Oldstead, United Kingdom
Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, New Milton, United Kingdom
Maison Lameloise, Chagny, France
L’Auberge de l’Ill, Illhaeusern, France
Martin Berasategui, Lasarte, Spain
El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
Restaurant Alcron, Prague, Czech Republic
The Fat Duck, Bray on Thames, United Kingdom
Ristorante Don Alfonso 1890, Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi, Italy
DOC, Armamar, Portugal

So the good news is that if you want to eat at three of the world’s very best establishments, you won’t even have to leave these shores to do so. The bad news is that it’s 8.56am and I’m already ready for lunch.

(Images: TripAdvisor/Instagram)