The Channel Islands have been named as the number one place for foodies according to the Good Food Guide 2020 by Waitrose & Partners (GFG).
The Guide lists the very best places to dine across Britain, with 16 Channel Islands restaurants included in the GFG, which is highly regarded by chefs and diners.
Published on Thursday 12 September, the Guide announces its Top 50 restaurants alongside its Editors’ Award winners, as well as unveiling which regions are serving up the very best food in the British Isles.
Editors at The Good Food Guide have uncovered foodie hotspots spread right across the British Isles, adding up the cooking scores for each county or region to create their list. Entries in the GFG are awarded a score from one to ten, based on anonymous inspections. By taking the total for each area (with half a point for each Local Gem entry) and dividing by population size, the editors have identified the regions with the best eating out per capita.
The highest scoring restaurant in the Channel Islands is Bohemia in St Helier which placed at No.21 in the Guide’s Top 50. The GFG calls it a sophisticated dining room, which “is in many ways peak St Helier…sourcing primarily from Jersey’s abundance.”
Steve Smith, Executive Chef at Bohemia Restaurant, said: “Myself and the team are incredibly proud to have ranked first in the Channel Islands for this year’s guide. It’s great to receive recognition for our hard work, and also fantastic that the Channel Islands has performed so well overall.”
Ten other Jersey restaurants have been recognised in the Guide including No 10 Restaurant & Bar (a new entry), which was acknowledged for “letting island produce shine” and Longueville Manor, where the GFG noted the “cooking remains as energetic and satisfying as ever”.
Other Jersey restaurants listed in the Guide include Samphire, Tassili, Ocean Restaurant, The Green Olive, Oyster Box, Mark Jordan at the Beach, Sumas and Green Island Restaurant
La Frégate was the highest placing restaurant in the Guide for Guernsey. The GFG noted “the kitchen works to a conventional, French-inspired menu that takes full advantage of fish from local boats”and that “staff relish the old ways…flambéeing crepes Suzette with theatrical splendour…”
La Sablonnerie on Sark was also a main entry for the GFG, acknowledged as a “dream-ticket hideaway…Dining here is a resolutely old-school experience in wonderful time-warp surroundings.”
Alongside Da Nello and Octopus in Guernsey, which feature in the GFG, Stocks in Sark is one of the GFG’s ‘Local Gems’ contributing to the Channel Islands’ status as a foodie haven. These are entries offering a wide choice at great value for money, delivering fabulous, freshly cooked food on your doorstep.
Elizabeth Carter, Waitrose Good Food Guide Editor says, “The arrival of No 10 Restaurant & Bar in St Helier is proof that, when it comes to eating out, the Channel Islands have not stood still. We hope to see even more new entries from the region next year.”
From big names to best-kept secrets, there are 1,200 eateries, included in the trusted restaurant handbook for 2020.
The number one spot has been awarded to L’Enclume in Cumbria which achieved a cooking score of ten; the highest accolade the GFG can give for ‘just perfect dishes, showing faultless technique at every service; extremely rare.’
