Member Article

Award-winning Westwood enters the Michelin Guide

The award-winning Westwood Restaurant in Beverley in East Yorkshire is celebrating its first-ever entry into the prestigious 2017 Michelin Guide, which is published today.

The Westwood, which is owned and run by twins Matt and Michele Barker, has been highly recommended in the “foodies’ bible”.

The Guide says: “The twins who own this smart modern brasserie clearly share the same vision. Appealing menus offer unfussy, recognisable dishes and the meats cooked ‘a la plancha’ are a hit. It sits in the wing of an impressive Georgian courthouse.”

Head chef Matt Barker commented: “Words cannot really express how absolutely thrilled and honoured I am to be included in the new Michelin Guide. It is nearly 10 years now since my sister Michele and I opened the Westwood in an old Georgian Courthouse in Beverley.

“It has been an amazing roller-coaster of a journey, and we have loved every minute of it. Over the years we have built up a devoted and discerning clientele, not just in Beverley and Hull, but also in North Yorkshire and across the Humber Bridge. That has been great and extremely satisfying.

“But it is also incredibly satisfying to be recognised by the famed restaurant bible and to be featured in the new Michelin Guide. It’s what most chefs dream of, although they don’t always admit it. I am very humbled.

“This is not just recognition for the Westwood, however. It is also a great triumph for Beverley, the jewel of the East Riding. Our local customers have supported us from the very start and this has helped us enormously. We are especially pleased to raise the culinary profile of our town both regionally and nationally,” said Matt

Michele Barker explained that inclusion in the new Michelin Guide had topped off an incredible year.

“We broke all records last year, when we had more diners than ever before, but this year has been ever better. Apart from the wonderful recognition in the Michelin Guide, we are also featured in the Sunday Times this week as one of the top family-run restaurants in the UK. That has made us very proud, too,” said Michele.

The popular restaurant has been shortlisted in the prestigious White Rose Awards, run by Welcome to Yorkshire, and has also been named as one of the 2016 Top 100 Fit for Foodies restaurants in the UK by Open Table diners.

Michele continued: “We have recently received a number of exceptional reviews, in national and regional papers and magazines, as well as on-line and social media. The reaction to what we are trying to achieve here – high-quality food in classy but relaxed surroundings – has been amazing.

“We had already been named in Open Table’s 100 Best Restaurants in the UK, before the Fit For Foodies recognition, so we couldn’t be more proud. We were one of only two restaurants in the whole of Yorkshire to make Open Table’s top 100, which again is voted for by diners themselves,” said Matt.

The Fit For Foodies awards are based on more than 300,000 reviews submitted by verified Open Table diners at more than 4,900 restaurants across the UK. This list reflects their pick of favourite restaurants in the Fit for Foodies category.

Michele said: “Since we opened, we have focused on offering high quality, locally sourced ingredients, showcasing the best of what the region has to offer. For Matt cooking is about getting the best out of the ingredients, delivering beautiful plates packed with great flavour.

“The Westwood believe in making the most of the seasons so the menu is constantly changing to bring you the best of locally sourced produce – beef sourced from North Yorkshire and seafood caught off Yorkshire’s East coast feature heavily.

“All this will continue in the wake of the Michelin recognition and we will constantly strive to maintain the highest of standards. We have now embarked on a higher-profile marketing campaign, featuring a brand-new website, to ensure that the Westwood is not only known and loved in the East Riding of Yorkshire, but elsewhere in Yorkshire and the North of England,” explained Michele.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .