Hailing from auspicious beginnings as a simple booklet published in 1900 by the Michelin tire company to help French motorists with their cars - providing maps, and of course, a guide to where to find a place to stay on the road - the Michelin Guide has now grown to become the authoritative word on fine dining in the UK, and elsewhere around the world.
Now, restaurants that are deemed worthy of an award by the Guide - the famed Michelin Star - are then assessed on a range of criteria (the judging methods for which are kept a closely guarded secret by the Michelin Guide team) and are awarded 1, 2 or 3 stars based on the decisions of the reviewing team.
In Scotland, we have 12 Michelin-starred restaurants in total, here are just some of those we believe should be on the bucket list of any foodie.
Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder. Picture: TSPL
Scotland's only restaurant with two Michelin Stars, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie can be found in the grounds of the prestigious Gleneagles Hotel and is renowned for its excellent service and immaculate dishes.
Founder Andrew Fairlie is one of Scotland's most renowned and highly rated chefs, and a visit to his restaurant is one to be savoured, featuring decadent dishes like home-smoked Scottish lobster and Perthshire Roe Deer it's sure to be a meal you won't forget in a very long time.
Picture: Trip Advisor Traveller
Massively popular with Trip Advisor users, tourists and residents alike, Number One is considered to be one of the city’s top destinations for fine dining in the capital.
Set within the walls of the stunning Balmoral Hotel on the corner where Princes Street meets North Bridge, the restaurant is run by vastly experienced executive chef Jeff Bland and offers an à la carte menu as well as two tasting menus featuring innovative dishes using Scotland's best ingredients.
One of the capital's four Michelin Star venues, Martin Wishart’s Edinburgh restaurant recently reached 9th place in Harden’s Guide to 100 of the UK’s best restaurants.
Run by one of Scotland's top chefs, Wishart worked under the likes of Albert Roux, Michael Roux Jr and Marco Pierre White before launching his own restaurants across the country, two of which have Michelin Stars and in the flagship eatery in Leith you have a selection of menus that highlight just how skilled the eponymous chef is. A must visit if you are in the capital and looking to be wined and dined.
Picture: The Albannach
The UK's most northerly Michelin-Starred restaurant, the Albannach involves slightly more travel to get to but the wild and remote coastal scenery as well as the award winning food are more than enough of a draw.
The hotel's Michelin Starred dining room is the domain of chef-proprietors Colin Craig and Lesley Crosfield who create stunning dishes with a focus on modern Scottish cuisine, locally foraged ingredients and of course the freshest wild seafood caught locally.
Picture: Trip Advisor Traveller
The Peat Inn is rivaled only by The Three Chimneys as Scotland's premier foodie destination and is regularly lauded by both critics and chefs alike who cite it as an example of what Scotland's culinary scene is capable of.
Having won Scotland’s first ever Michelin star back in the 80s, the Inn is run by head chef Geoffrey Smeddle, who takes full advantage of the wonderful region of Fife to source only the best ingredients, and focuses on some of the best seafood and game dishes that this area is famed for.
(24 E Green, Anstruther KY10 3AA)
Picture: The Cellar
Located in the picturesque East Neuk of Fife, The Cellar is one of those restaurants that flies under the radar to everyone except those who matter such as the Michelin Guide, which were keen to reward the little eatery on the great work that began with industry veteran Peter Jukes, and is now carried through with local boy and top chef Billy Boyter.
Boyter, and industry veteran Patricia Kirk, have formed a strong bond that has seen them serve up awe inspiring menus - featuring seafood and game - and award winning service in equal measure in this snug little corner of Anstruther.
(1 Macleods Terrace, Stein, Isle of Skye IV55 8GA)
Picture: The Loch Bay
Chef patron Michael Smith of the Loch Bay has plenty of pedigree, he was chef director at Skye’s Three Chimneys when it earned its Michelin Star in 2015, and now cutting out on his own with this excellent little restaurant, he's once again back in the Michelin Star fold.
Offering contemporary Scottish dishes with "classic French influences", the restaurant is well worth the trek to Stein, on the Waternish Peninsula in Skye, with the Fruits de Mer menu a particular highlight.
