British better at French cuisine than the French, says Good Food Guide editor
It is considered to be the best cuisine in the world, but now it seems British chefs are producing better French dishes than their counterparts across the Channel.
That viewpoint comes as a French bistro in a Leeds suburb has been crowned Britain’s best local restaurant by the Good Food Guide.
Out of the 100 restaurants shortlisted, 10 were French, double the number last year. The winner Bavette, whose name translates to flank steak, has taken home the accolade only five months after it opened in Horsforth. Other French entries acclaimed by inspectors were L’Hexagone in Norwich and London restaurants Paulette, Josephine and Les 2 Garçons.
Elizabeth Carter, co-editor of the Good Food Guide, said the “strong showing” proves British chefs are rivalling, and even on occasion beating the French at their own game.
She said the quality of cooking in France had dipped over the years thanks, in part, to new labour laws across the Channel which means chefs can only work 35 hours a week.
It is a far cry from the punishing 18-hour days enforced by the multi Michelin-starred chefs Guy Savoy, Joël Robuchon and Paul Bocuse.
Mrs Carter said restaurants in France are resurgent after dragging themselves up out of the “doldrums” from a few years ago.
She told The Telegraph: “I used to go to France a lot and became very disillusioned with French cooking.
“I have to say I went back to Paris for the first time in a number of years [at the] beginning of the year, and actually I was blown away, I think it’s on the up I think there’s a lot of effort.
“The labour laws didn’t help and made a lot of chefs cut corners, buying pre-prepared, pre-made things.
“I still remember going to a favourite cafe in Paris a few years ago, where we used to go for a croque monsieur and all of a sudden the croques were frozen.”
She added: “French cooking has picked up. It did hit the doldrums a few years ago. We have always done French food very very well.”
Asked if Britain is beating or at the very least matching the French she said: “We do, we do better French restaurants sometimes than the French, I used to say that when I knew France a lot better, I am sure that it has got a lot better.”
Olivia Grégoire, France’s tourism minister, admitted earlier this year that French gastronomy had been “outstripped by the performance and influence of other countries” and urged chefs not to “rest on their laurels”.
More than 60,000 votes were cast by the public to find Britain’s best local restaurant, double the number in 2023.
Mrs Carter said it was clear evidence of a shift away from the starched tablecloths and formality of fine-dining and towards affordable set lunches and more relaxed settings.
She said that chefs are recognising that the appetite for fine dining has dwindled amidst a cost of living crisis.
“I don’t think there is a lot of money to be made in fine dining with the overheads, I think it’s a struggle, I think if you do really well the money comes in but that money has got to cover the quiet times as well.”
This year saw some of Britain’s most high profile chefs close down their Michelin-starred restaurants.
In January, Michel Roux Jr shut the doors of Le Gavroche in Mayfair, 56 years after his father, Albert Roux, and uncle, Michel Roux Snr, opened it in 1967.
Marcus Wareing, Gordon Ramsay’s former right-hand man and host of Masterchef Professionals, closed down his eponymous Marcus in Belgravia in December after 20 years of service.