If you'd like to impress your other half this Valentine's Day with a Michelin-starred meal but don't fancy the hefty price tag, you'll be relieved to know that a new study has revealed one of the cheapest places to dine on cuisine deemed worthy of one if the organisations prestigious stars is less than an hour away from Bristol.
According to research by ABC Finance, Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham is one of the 13 most affordable restaurants in the country to hold a Michelin star. Serving up modern cuisine, Le Champignon Sauvage (which means wild mushroom in French) charges just £40 for a two-course set lunch or £47 for three.
There's also a set dinner menu from Wednesdays to Fridays priced equivalently, while the a la carte costs £60 for two courses, £78 for three and £93 for four. Dishes on a sample menu include, miso-glazed monkfish, barley broth, cockles and samphire or pigeon, black pudding and chocolate ganache, cherries, and radicchio.
Founded in 1987 by David Everitt-Matthias and his wife Helen, the low-key, intimate restaurant has quietly garnered a variety of accolades alongside its Michelin star, including two stars in Harden’s Guide and four 4 AA rosettes. Le Champignon Sauvage is one of only four eateries outside of the south east to make it into the list of affordable Michelin-starred restaurants and is the only one in the south west.
If you don't fancy the 50-minute drive to Cheltenham, then you can also find Michelin-quality food at an inexpensive price much closer to home. The same study analysed restaurants awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand, which is awarded to the best value for money restaurants offering a three-course meal at a reasonable price as well as the Green Star, an annual award which highlights restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices
The research focused on the restaurants which were ranked either ‘on a budget’ or ‘moderate spend’, totalling 49 restaurants in total across the UK and Ireland. Out of the nine Michelin-quality restaurants, which were ranked as the most affordable overall, there are two in the southwest, including one spot in Bristol's Wapping Wharf.
Founded in 2017 by Josh Eggleton (The Pony Group, Bristol Beer Factory, School of Food) and Luke Hasell (Story Butchers, Valleyfest), Root is a vegetarian, sharing plates restaurant sitting on the banks of Bristol’s historic harbour. Root is known for championing local suppliers and producers with a 'more veg, less meat' ethos that has proved popular with diners, spawning a second location in nearby Wells.
Plates range from around £8.50 to £16 with tempting options, including cider braised roscoff onions with Jerusalem artichoke, chilli and hazelnut dressing or Homewood ewes curd, bitter leaves, pear and walnut.
Just a 10-minute train ride from Bristol Temple Meads, Bath's Beckford Bottle Shop makes it on to the list. A bistro, wine shop and cellar, it has been serving up relaxed modern British dishes and sharing platters since 2015. Cheese and charcuterie boards start at around £9, and small plates range from £6.50 for green beans, fermented barley with walnut ketchup and VSOP Gouda up to £11.25 for Dartmoor venison and Jerusalem artichoke.
Of course, one of the best ways to get a top-quality meal at a decent price is to get in before Michelin does. Bristol Live recently visited Casa, housed in The General at Bristol harbourside, awarding it a hearty five stars for delivering a "masterclass in Italian cooking without Michelin price tag".
Casa is the latest restaurant from Peter Sanchez-Iglesias' who has reimagined his family's Michelin-starred Casamia after it closed in the summer with extensive renovation work to create a more relaxed, accessible setting. While a tasting menu at Casamia previously set you back £180 per head, Casa'a £45 per head for four shared courses, excluding drinks and service, is much more affordable.
Or you could take a punt on something brand new such as A.B.O.E on Whiteladies Road, which is opening this week. Helmed by former Masterchef finalist and Michelin-trained chef Seb Merry, A.B.O.E, which stands for 'a bit of everything' and is pronounced A-Boo, will offer a selection of changing small plates, with influences from Japanese, Thai and Indonesian cuisine, aiming to bring diners something new and exciting without the stiffness and price tag of ‘traditional’ fine dining.
The nine restaurants featured by ABC Finance as the most affordable of those that have received Michelin’s Bib Gourmand award are:
Root (Bristol, South West England) – Vegetarian
Beckford Bottle Shop (Bath, Somerset) – Modern British
Chilli Pickle (Brighton, East Sussex) – Indian
Broad Chare (Newcastle, Tyne and Wear) – Traditional British
Imad's Syrian Kitchen (Soho, London) – Middle Eastern
El Gato Negro (Manchester, Greater Manchester) – Spanish
Haveli (Ponteland, Northumberland) – Indian
Home (Belfast, Northern Ireland) – Traditional British
Iberico World Tapas (Nottingham, East Midlands) – Mediterranean cuisine
The full list of the 13 cheapest Michelin one-star restaurants in the UK includes::
Le Champignon Sauvage (Cheltenham, Gloucestershire) – Modern cuisine
Barrafina (Soho, London) – Spanish
Casa Fofo (Hackney, London) – Modern cuisine
Jamavar (Mayfair, London) – Indian
Wild Honey St James (St James's, London) – Modern British
Trishna (Marylebone, London) – Indian
St John (Farringdon, London) – Traditional British
Sabor (Soho, London) – Spanish
Bridge Arms (Bridge, Kent) – Modern British
The Coach (Marlow, Buckinghamshire) – Modern British
Pea Porridge (Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk) – Mediterranean cuisine
Pipe and Glass (South Dalton, East Riding) – Modern British
Star Inn at Harome (Harome, North Yorkshire) – Modern British
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