Star performers: Fine for dining

There was a time when the height of Irish cuisine in a restaurant was either a dessicated steak or a feed of hairy bacon and overcooked cabbage, followed by sherry trifle.

Not any more. Six Irish restaurants have become new recipients of the Michelin Star for 2020, in Dublin, Cork, Kildare and Limerick, as well as one in Belfast.

The biggest winner was Aimsir, at the Cliff at Lyons, in Kildare, which was awarded two stars despite being open less than six months. It is among an elite list of 21 Irish hotspots to have been awarded stars in the 2020 Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland.

The annual series of Michelin guides first appeared in 1900, initially as a free guide for motorists in France. The first guide to Great Britain & Ireland appeared in 1974

Whether receiving a Michelin star still matters isn’t the point. The point is that it encourages restaurants and chefs to push themselves at what they do. That, alone, is worth celebrating.

A toast, therefore, not just to all those winners but to those who strive for culinary excellence in Ireland.