Foodie News Round Up 2015

Top UK chef and owner of Casamia, Jonray Sanchez-Iglesias, passes away

2015 brought some very sad news in November as Jonray Sanchez Iglesias, one of the youngest Michelin starred chefs in the country, sadly lost his private battle with skin cancer. As co-owner and chef along with his brother, Peter, together they ran the marvellous Italian trattoria Casamia in Bristol. Over their years at the restaurant, the brothers' culinary prowess saw Casamia become one of just three Michelin starred restaurants in the area.

Commenting on this great loss, Gordon Ramsay tweeted, “We wish Peter all the best in the future with Casamia and his two new ventures coming soon to the centre of Bristol, Pi Shop pizzeria and Paco Tapas, where he will continue to serve many of the delicious dishes he and Jonray grew up with in their childhood."

Dorset’s only Michelin starred restaurant is sold to ex-Masterchef contestant

After 12 wonderful and Michelin starred years, the unique and renowned restaurant that is Sienna in Dorset was sold by owners Elena and Russell this year. But this is not the end for the venue; you’ll be glad to hear that the new owner is former Masterchef semi-finalist Marcus Wilcox, who hopes to have Sienna back to its Michelin starred ways in no time. After working as a head chef at the Rose and Crown in Trent, he has begun to build on previous success at Sienna with an eclectic a la carte menu full to the brim with local West Country produce. He aims to have the restaurant in the Michelin guide within the next two years.

It’s not the end for the previous owners either, as Russell’s years of experience in the kitchen have inspired him to move onto new pastures. The couple now offer a food-based consultancy company, Creative about Cuisine.

New Michelin stars are awarded to UK restaurants for the first time

2015 brought with it a whole new range of top class restaurants, and reminded us once again why the UK remains one of the culinary capitals of the world. London dominated the awards, and Mayfair especially had some new Michelin stars to celebrate in the form of The Araki and Umu Asian restaurants. They gained two stars each, whilst the exclusive Bonham’s restaurant was awarded one too. However, the region that really stood out was the North Eas,t which upped its game and for the first time in many years came away with two Michelin stars across two restaurants. House of Tides in Newcastle and The Man Behind the Curtain in Leeds are the restaurants to head to if you want an award winning fine dining experience in the area. Northern Ireland also fared particularly well, as Deanes Eipic and Ox, both in Belfast, were welcomed into the ultimate restaurant guide. The full list can be found here.

For those who pick their travel destinations with fine dining in mind, Tokyo retains the top spot in the guide worldwide. With a whopping 217 Michelin Stars, this city has more than anywhere else – we’ll see you there!

New Bake Off spin-off show is announced

Great British Bake Off: Creme de la Creme will hit our screens in 2016! A spin off of one of our favourite shows is almost too much too handle. It is more than just the icing on the cake, it’s the enticing cherry expertly placed on top! Tom Kerridge will host the series, which will see 15 teams of professional pastry chefs battle it out to become the most elite, the very best in the culinary world – the creme de la creme! Three judges have so far been confirmed for the eight part series. They will include Cherish Finden, the executive pastry chef from The Langham, BBC Two’s Benoit Blin (trained at Le Manoir Quat’saisons) and Claire Clark MBE MOGB.

Plans go ahead to build Boxpark in Croydon

This year brought some fantastic news to South London as plans to build Boxpark, a delicious new pop-up venue, were finalised. It’s expected to be a large modern complex and have a rather edgy design from what we can gather. It will comprise 97 shipping containers, artfully constructed into a gastronomic hub of food and drink outlets, restaurants and bars. Now that’s something we can’t wait to see. Dubbed as the "next Shoreditch”, Boxpark aims to be nothing short of a foodie paradise. With a 100% food and drink emphasis, it will be the go-to place to grab a bite to eat, conduct business lunches or have a romantic meal. Some of the eateries that have already confirmed their place are MEATliquor, Bukowski Grill, Bang Bang Vietnamese Canteen, Bhangra Burgers, Viet Do An. There have even been talks of a floating market on the Thames! Watch this space. Boxpark is set to open in summer 2016 and wow us as a fresh and impressive edition to the London restaurant scene.

Mcdonald’s reveal a new premium burger range

Under competition from gourmet burger chains, Mcdonald’s have decided to dip into new territories - Michelin starred chef territories. Yes, you’re hearing us right; with the help of some renowned culinary experts, they are set to launch their 'Signature Collection' of premium burgers. It was announced this year that this means brioche-style buns, 100% British and Irish beef burgers, and the thickest patties ever made and sold in a Mcdonald’s restaurant. After trialling the premium range in 28 branches already, The Classic, The BBQ and The Spicy burgers should be making their way to a Mcdonald’s near you in summer 2016. There are even whispers of table service becoming the norm (trialled in Manchester) as well as having iPads and Samsung Galaxy tablets available at your table to place your order on. Will this become our fast food future?

Sexy Fish burst onto the London restaurant scene

This year, London’s Berkeley Square saw the opening of its newest celebrity haunt, and most curiously named glitzy gastrodome, Sexy Fish. The stunning fit-out of this exquisite Asian fish restaurant allegedly set the developers back a jaw-dropping £20-million. Iranian Esmeralda onyx flooring, a fabric-panelled ceiling, a scarlet lava stone bar and two of the largest live coral reef tanks in the world furnish this palatial piscine paradise. Caprice Holdings, whose trademark is a “diamonds and pearls” approach to business, have sought to establish a relaxed approach to fine dining at Sexy Fish. Overlay their image of mid-century glamour with artwork supplied by a deeply desirable cadre of celebrity designers, artists and architects – such as Damien Hirst and Frank Gehry – and what Sexy Fish brought to 2015 is a star-studded, gastronomic temple of opulence, dedicated to the receding recession (apparently). Tie everything off with an A-list ledger of bookings that counts Ellie Goulding, Lewis Hamilton, Rita Ora and Kate Moss among its number and we think you’ll agree that Sexy Fish has been one of Britain’s biggest and most hype-worthy restaurant openings of 2015. “Why Sexy Fish?” is the question that has been most levied at project director Laura Montana, and we can understand the scepticism. Fish aren’t the sexiest members of the animal kingdom.

Big buy outs in the restaurant world

Latin American dining chain Las Iguanas was sold to Casual Dining Group, the owners of Café Rouge and Bella Italia after a competitive auction. The deal, which cost the group around £85 million and bought them the 41-strong restaurant chain, comes in the wake of Casual Dining’s plans to build the business back up after selling Italian restaurant chain, Strada. This sale to Pizza Express entrepreneur, High Osmond, in 2014 allowed them to cut their debts by £263 million. So it’s seems they're back on top form once again.

Ryan Giggs, Manchester United ex footballer and co get AA rosette for George’s restaurant in Worsley

Ryan Giggs proved his worth on the football pitch for Manchester United for years, earning himself an OBE and a legion of fans. His talents aren’t limited to playing football though, as he has ably taken on the guise of celebrated restaurateur, too. Ryan co-owns George’s Dining Room & Bar in Worsley, for which the kitchen team is headed up by the talented Andrew Parker. Ryan and his hard-working team have seen the restaurant go from strength to strength since opening in December 2013, and their hard work has certainly paid off – earlier this month they were awarded their first AA rosette. It’s a fantastic achievement in such a short space of time – we can’t wait to see what they achieve in 2016.