Birmingham beats London to be named Britain’s ‘most exciting foodie destination’

Friends in high places: Opheem chefs Aktar Islam, Glynn Purnell and Alex Claridge at their restaurant in Birmingham, pictured here with West Midlands Mayor Andy Street (Jacob King/PA)

(Picture: PA Wire)

Birmingham has bettered London at The Good Food Guide’s awards ceremony, with the second city named as Britain’s “most exciting food destination”.

In an evening at the Groucho hosted by the guide’s longstanding editor Elizabeth Carter, who has helmed it for some 15 years and contributed since the Nineties, alongside its publisher Adam Hyman, the night saw Birmingham championed for its “frequently exceptional restaurants right across the price range.”

Carter said of the win: “No other [British] city is as well served with such a range of unique and frequently exceptional restaurants right across the price range.

“At the top of the range, three exceptional restaurants from the Birmingham area feature in our 20 most exciting restaurants in Britain – an extraordinary feat. But getting the balance just right extends to others including Opheem, with its unmistakably curry-based but uniquely modern-British approach, and Harborne Kitchen, where Jamie Desogus pulls off a real coup, making the restaurant a bit of a holy grail in terms of packing mass-appeal into posh nosh.

“Nowhere but in Britain — and perhaps even more specifically in Birmingham — could this cooking occur.”

The 20 most exciting restaurants in Britain list to which Carter refers saw L’Enclume in Cumbria take the top spot, followed by Ynyshir, in Ceredigion, mid Wales. Bronze was taken by Lancashire’s Moor Hall, Lancashire, while the Raby Hunt, in County Durham took fourth. The top five was rounded out by the UK’s first-ever Michelin-starred pub, the Sportsman, which sits just outside of Whitstable. All five frequently appear in UK food and restaurant award lists; the three medallists all picked up the GFG’s “world class” title.

“L’Enclume has matured but has not aged,” said Carter of its win. “They are all about experience and commitment, with a young team bringing in fresh ideas, rather than Simon [Rogan] imposing his vision. Forced to be flexible because of their farm, they are nimble and open minded, and have retained a light atmosphere and unique, chatty service style. They are such an example to their industry peers.”

Best in London: Jason Atherton, with his wife Irha

The highest performing London restauant was Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social, which clocked in at number eight, but four other spots in the capital did get a mention, with Tom Sellers’ Restaurant Story (11), Da Terra (17), Kol (19) and Endo at the Rotunda (20) all included.

Elsewhere, Scottish operators Paul and Chris Charalambous of Cultar Restaurant Group were named as restaurateurs of the year.

First published in 1951 and still the Britain’s bestselling guide on dining out, The Good Food Guide has had a rocky time of it in recent years, having ceased publication during the pandemic, before Hyman — who also founded Code Hospitality — purchased and revived it in 2021.

The full list of Britain’s top 20 most exciting restaurants of 2022 is below:

1. L’Enclume, Cumbria
2. Ynyshir, Ceredigion
3. Moor Hall, Lancashire
4. The Raby Hunt, Co Durham
5. The Sportsman, Kent
6. Outlaw’s New Road, Cornwall
7. Osip, Somerset
8. Pollen Street Social, London
9. Inver, Argyll & Bute
10. Wilderness, Birmingham
11. Restaurant Story, London
12. SY23, Ceredigion
13. Pine, Northumberland
14. Annwn, Pembrokeshire
15. Condita, Edinburgh
16. Grace & Savour, West Midlands
17. Da Terra, London
18. Carters of Moseley, Birmingham
19. Kol, London
20. Endo at The Rotunda, London