With rare bluefin tuna and red meat often on their menus, Michelin-starred restaurants have not always prioritised sustainability.
In an effort to consider the climate crisis, in 2020 Michelin began awarding green stars to chefs who cooked eco-friendly ingredients and reduced waste. But now the body has abruptly retired the prize and said chefs will no longer be able to advertise that they have it.
Winners of the accolade were given a green plaque to proudly display by their front door, and were able to show a picture of the star on their website, much as they would if they had won a traditional Michelin star.
“It’s disappointing – one of our dreams was to have one,” said Piers Milburn, the owner of Pythouse Kitchen Garden in Wiltshire, which won a green star last year.
His menu features sustainable ingredients such as English fava beans, hand-dived scallops and local blackberries.
“We think it’s quite irresponsible for Michelin to build a platform for businesses to thrive from for an accolade and then whisk it away,” he said. “We were enormously proud of it and now we feel let down by them.”
There are signs that corporations across the world are reducing their sustainability initiatives in the wake of US president Donald Trump’s backlash against DEI and climate programmes. “I pray Michelin is not stepping back from sustainability,” Milburn said.
Hylton Espey, who owns Culture restaurant in Falmouth, Cornwall, serves fish from the local market and mushrooms grown in a nearby no-dig garden.
“We did not have any communication regarding the green star changes until after the press release went out. We feel that this could have been handled better,” he said.
Epsey added that the star was a “rare achievement and it helped us stand out amongst other restaurants on an international scale”, including collaborating with chefs from the US and cooking at international events.
Cecily Fearnley, the owner of Homestead Kitchen Garden in North Yorkshire, was equally disappointed to find out she was losing her star. Fearnley runs the restaurant from her family home, a farmhouse on the moors, and serves home-grown vegetables. To drink, there is locally distilled gin from Whitby.
“The fact we were recognised by Michelin was a fantastic boost for us, and definitely led people to us who care about the same things,” she said. “It was amazing publicity to send people to our farmhouse restaurant on the North York Moors.
“For us, we will continue to work on what we feel passionate about, and hope that green star or no green star, people will continue to come and experience a taste of the moors with us.”
Instead of the star, the Michelin Guide will produce Mindful Voices, a “global editorial platform” about sustainable restaurants and the people “pioneering new approaches in the fields of gastronomy, hospitality and wine”. Mindful Voices will not bestow any official accolade on any restaurant featured, so restaurants do not view it as a replacement for the star.
The Guide has not given a reason for phasing out the stars, but has said all 37 restaurants that currently hold a star will lose the accolade at the end of the year.
Milburn believes it is because the green star too closely resembles a Michelin star. While one is awarded for sustainability, the other is given to fine-dining restaurants that meet exacting criteria for quality of cooking and service.
“In all fairness, there was a bit of confusion about the green star. People would turn up and say: ‘We heard you have a Michelin star,’” he said. “From the outset the branding for the star wasn’t right – it looks too much like a Michelin star.”
But restaurateurs still feel the change is unfair. Jan Ostle, the head chef and co-owner of Wilsons in Bristol, which serves produce from its market garden, was incredibly proud of his. “My heart also goes out to the people who won green stars this year. For it to be retired the very same year seems unfair.”
But he hoped the change also showed that where sustainable menus were once exceptional, they had now become the norm. “Practices such as working closely with local growers, reducing waste, improving staff culture and thinking more carefully about sourcing should really just be part of what defines a good modern restaurant,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Michelin Guide said: “The Michelin Guide wishes to reaffirm clearly its commitment to a more responsible approach to gastronomy. The Guide’s ambition is evolving towards a broader and more universal expression, one that now encompasses our three pillars of excellence: gastronomy, hospitality and wine.
“In the context of a strong international expansion to more than 60 destinations, the introduction of Mindful Voices should not be seen as a step backwards, but rather as a progression designed to reinforce this commitment.”
