Wales' Michelin stars will rise

Wales has all of the ingredients for a vibrant, top-class restaurant scene. It just hasn't happened yet, says Laura RoweAnyone watching last week's Great British Menu could be forgiven for thinking that Wales is leading the way in creative cookery. Well, in many ways it is, but when it comes to eating out the accolades just aren't coming. For the past two years we have held a measly four Michelin stars (compared with 55 in London). In the Welsh capital you'll be lucky to get even a few AA rosettes.Of course, a lack of Michelin stars doesn't necessarily mean a lack of good food, but it does mean that finding a decent restaurant here is harder. Curry houses are aplenty and there are a few good Italian eateries, but if you're after a vegetarian meal, say, or a contemporary restaurant that pushes the boundaries, it's a struggle.It's not like there isn't a culinary heritage here. Make all the jokes you want about the Welsh penchant for posh cheese on toast, we have some serious recipes and produce under our apron strings: think cawl (a delicious stew), Welsh cakes (flat, sugary, currant scones), laverbread, cockles, salt-marsh lamb, and some of the best cheeses in the world (Caerphilly, anyone?). The British Cheese Awards and festival are held in Cardiff, for goodness sake.So, if it's not down to the ingredients themselves, does the lack of Michelin recognition reflect a lack of homegrown talent? Well, to look at the contestants and judges on the GBM's Welsh round, you might think so. Stephen Terry, while admittedly chef patron of one of Wales' most popular (if not Michelin-accredited) restaurants, is originally from London (even if he does have an Abergavenny twang). Judge Angela Hartnett, one of Britain's leading chefs, is based in London and is only "Welsh" by descent. And although Richard Davies hails from Bridgend, he earned his Michelin star at a manor house in Wiltshire. It is only James Sommerin in the competition, a "Welsh man through and through", who has kept to his roots. He has maintained his Michelin star at Monmouthshire restaurant The Crown at Whitebrook for the past six years. That's no mean feat. He thinks very few great chefs are drawn to Wales: "The majority head towards places like London, where they have the opportunity to earn more money". One of Wales' best-known chefs did just that. Bryn Williams trained at Le Gavroche and in France before taking over as head chef, then chef patron, at Odette's, his acclaimed restaurant in Primrose Hill.But it's unlikely to be about money alone. Perhaps chefs head elsewhere because they don't have the same opportunity here in Wales to be creative, where cheap and cheerful is often favoured over adventurous gastronomy. Rustic, affordably-priced eateries such as Matt Tebbutt's gastropub The Foxhunter in the Usk valley and Cardiff's The Potted Pig exist but are rare gems, as are excellent cheaper eateries such such as the Bangkok Cafe in Swansea.Even the double Michelin-starred Martin Blunos couldn't make his take on fine dining work at the now defunct Crown Social in Cardiff city centre. And time will only tell if Ceredigion-born chef Roger Jones will fare any better in his new role to raise the standard of Cardiff's restaurant scene at The Park House.Still, without the support of Michelin, Wales is listed among the top three destinations for gastro tourism in the UK. The annual Abergavenny Food Festival in September is renowned as one of the best food and drink events in the UK. Even the Welsh government is doing its bit with a Food Tourism Action Plan (pdf) and its annual True Taste of Wales Awards. All of the ingredients for a vibrant restaurant scene are here.So, is Wales a victim of Michelin snobbery, is London pinching all the best chefs, or is this fiercely proud country simply taking its time to be the best it can be? I favour the latter: the foundations are laid, and now we just need the public's support to take Welsh restaurants to the next level.RestaurantsBritish food and drinkFood & drinkWalesLaura Roweguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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