Michelin Guide 2024: Leeds restaurants to find out their fate as ceremony hands out UK stars - how it works

First published by the French tyre company in 1900, the gastronomy bible awards up to three stars for culinary excellence. It recommends other restaurants, and awards Bib Gourmands for good-value establishments. 

There’s currently only five Leeds restaurants featured in the Michelin Guide - Dakota Grill, Ox Club, HOME, Forde and Prashad. 

Leeds has lost its only Michelin star after Michael O’Hare closed and rebranded The Man Behind The Curtain. His new venture, Psycho Sandbar, is due to open in March.

And Michael told the Yorkshire Evening Post that while getting a Michelin star would be welcome, it’s not the goal for his new restaurant. Jono Hawthorne, chef patron at fine-dining restaurant Chef Jono at V&V, thinks the guide is losing its appeal -  no longer putting bums on seats during the cost of living crisis. 

In an exclusive interview with the YEP, former Masterchef star Liz Cottam admitted it’s been a tough year for the fine-dining industry. Her Michelin-recommended CORA, in Boston Spa, closed down last summer and she’s taking a bold move with HOME as she launches her most daring tasting menu yet. 

Craig Rogan, former executive chef of the Michelin-recommended Dakota Grill, embarked on a solo venture earlier this year as he launched a tasting experience at The Collective. His successor at the Leeds hotel is Chris Nuttall, who will be hoping to keep the restaurant’s spot on the 2024 Guide. 

Indian restaurant Prashad in Drighlington remains the only restaurant in West Yorkshire with a Bib Gourmand, an award given to good-value establishments. 

Just beyond the city’s boundaries, The Box Tree in Ilkley is pushing to regain a star as it reopens following a full kitchen transformation.

Where and where is the Michelin Guide ceremony 2024 - and how can I watch it?

This year’s Michelin Guide Ceremony for Great Britain and Ireland – which will take place on Monday February 5 at The Midland Hotel in Manchester.

The ceremony will begin at 6pm and will be live streamed on YouTube.

What is a Michelin star and how does it work? 

Michelin stars are annual awards - and can be taken away. The stars are awarded to restaurants, not to chefs. 

The Michelin Star is awarded for the food on the plate – nothing else, according to the Guide. 

Anonymous inspectors visit restaurants and take into account five universal criteria: the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavours, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine and consistency both across the entire menu and over time.