The Schelly by The team behind the Old Stamp House, brothers Ryan and Craig Blackburn, has been included in the prestigious Michelin Guide for the first time within three months of opening its doors.
Undoubtedly, The Schelly is keeping illustrious company, located next door to sibling The Old Stamp House, both of which are firmly enhancing the Ambleside’s burgeoning foodie reputation.
The simple seasonal food philosophy of The Schelly team has already started to make its mark placing the Ambleside restaurant firmly on the Lake District’s food map.
On announcing The Schelly’s inclusion in the Michelin Guide their bulletin remarked: ‘’Ambleside, a delightful little town in the Lake District, has always been a lovely place to visit – but now you have extra incentive thanks to this second venture by Ryan and Craig Blackburn. They already run the Michelin Starred Old Stamp House up the road and now they’re delighting visitors and locals alike with a simpler offering of sensibly priced small plates, with each one still providing bags of flavour.’’
The first UK edition of the Michelin Guide was published in 1974 and fifty years later, Michelin Stars remain highly sought after by the UK’s leading restaurants.
The Michelin Guide started in Clermont-Ferrand, France, in 1889, when brothers Édouard and André Michelin founded their tyre company aiming to transform the French car industry. By 1900 they started to give away complimentary guides filled with practical information for travellers, including maps, details on road quality, information on how to change a tyre, where to find a garage or fill up with petrol, and recommendations of where to eat and stay for the night – all cleverly designed to encourage drivers to explore more and hopefully use more tyres in the process!
By the 1920’s the Guide had become highly respected, in response to that the brothers employed mystery diners to assess the places being recommended within its pages, who began awarding single-star designations from 1926 onwards to highlight the top eateries to visit. A star hierarchy was introduced in 1931, quickly followed by descriptions of the Star rankings, which remain the same to this day:
- One Star – Worth a Stop
- Two Stars – Worth a Detour
- Three Stars – Worth a Special Journey
Across the UK there are currently only 1148 restaurants listed in the Guide, 824 with a listing, among them is The Schelly, 123 restaurants with a Bib Gourmand, 165 holding one star, 27 with two stars and nine with three Michelin stars.
The Michelin Guide reporting on The Schelly remarks: ‘’A delightful operation from the team behind Old Stamp House just a minute’s walk away, this deservedly busy restaurant is named after a local fish found in only four nearby lakes. It’s indicative of the distinctly Lakeland feel to the menu, which is epitomised by the presence of lip-smacking Herdwick hogget shoulder plus a dish of ‘mushrooms found around the woods in Ambleside. Sit at the counter to see the chefs or by the window to people-watch the tourists passing by. The Sticky toffee madeleines cooked to order ensure you’ll leave on a sugary high.’’
When it comes to The Schelly’s food, Head Chef Dan Hopkins along with chef-owner Ryan Blackburn make a point of cooking with fresh seasonal produce, to ensure every dish they produce delivers on flavour and quality without the faff, all the while keeping the restaurant’s food innovative and exciting.
The Schelly’s co-owner Ryan Blackburn remarked: ‘’Being included in the Michelin Guide is unexpected, especially after we only opened the doors three months ago. Head chef Dan, my brother Craig and the rest of the team have just tried to do our best to bring the restaurant to life and I guess that’s paid off. We couldn’t be prouder of everyone who works with us; for us, this is a real team effort. We’ve taken our time and hopefully, the work we’ve put in has helped build a solid foundation for the future. Achieving this recognition reflects the hard work, dedication, and passion of every single member of the team working at The Schelly since we opened our doors in August.’’
