“The Greatest Achievement in the History of the Pern Family”

This development grew to such an extent that eventually we came to the notice of the Michelin men, or in this case Michelin man, a big, apologetic Geordie called Jeremy Bewick whom we’d met before, oddly enough, as restaurant manager for Paul Heathcote. For those who wonder how these things happen, it was a case of him finding us. We had never chased recognition in the famous Red Book but in 1997 he introduced himself saying that Michelin were sorry that they’d not known of us but that we would be in the guide the following year and we were. We were awarded a bib gourmand, which is seen as a bit of a stepping stone to the ultimate accolade of a star. It denotes, in the guide’s words, a restaurant which offers a three-course meal with good food at moderate prices. Well. Michelin never were known for over-enthusing! I remember Dad telling me that I’d get a Michelin star one day. ‘No chance,’ I replied. ‘Pubs never get them.’