User-generated restaurant guide Harden’s, has officially recognised Cheltenham foodie scene as a town on the up, with three top rankings achieved in the 2019 guide. Cheltenham has:
- been ranked joint 8th in the ‘Top Scorers’ table 2019, alongside Bath, Windermere and York, with 4 Cheltenham restaurants making the top scorers list. This is a new entry for the town which didn’t rank in 2018
- been ranked 16th overall in the UK as a foodie destination for 2019, with 12 restaurants being officially included. Cheltenham has climbed three places since 2018 when it ranked in 19th position
- two restaurants on the 2019 ‘Top 100 best UK restaurants’ list, with fine-dining establishment Lumière taking spot 61, and Michelin-Starred Le Champignon Sauvage coming in at 64th.
The 2019 rankings were released on Friday 14th December, and highlight Cheltenham’s position as a critically-acclaimed foodie scene. The 2019 guide is the 28th annual poll from Harden’s, and this year surveyed 8,000 diners who contributed 50,000 reviews between them.
Kelly Ballard, Manager, Marketing Cheltenham comments “Locals know and love Cheltenham’s foodie scene; the variety, the independents and the quality. We’ve been working hard to promote the town as a foodie destination in recent months, encouraging visitors to make it their foodie destination. Now, to have the food scene recognised in the Harden’s Guide on a national scale is absolutely fantastic! It’s even better to have two restaurants in the top 100 nationally, particularly as they are ones we all know and love! Congratulations must go to Lumière and Le Champignon Sauvage who make the Top 100 list, and to all those which have been ranked and recommended by The Harden’s Restaurant Guide 2019.”
Kevan Blackadder, Director of Cheltenham BID comments “Cheltenham has always been a place where independents thrive, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure this continues. Being recognised in the Harden’s Guide, and climbing the rankings is a great reward for those who have been working hard to make Cheltenham a fantastic place to live, work and visit. In the last two months alone, more than 10 food & drink establishments have opened, including the new WoodKraft restaurant from Masterchef 2015 winner Simon Wood, so it’s great to see the town recognised by Harden’s.”
For more foodie inspiration go to www.visitcheltenham.com where you’ll find our comprehensive eating out guide, interviews with chefs and a monthly foodie round-up.
The Harden’s rankings in detail…
Each year, restaurant authority Harden’s release their list of the UK’s best towns & cities for foodies, along with a list of the Top 100 UK restaurants. They have just released Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2019, which is the 28th annual poll and which surveyed 8,000 diners who between them contributed more than 50,000 restaurant reviews. These, together with input from the Harden’s Editors, form the basis of a number of published lists, including:
- Top restaurant cities in the UK by Quality
- Top restaurant cities in the UK in Total
- 100 best UK restaurants.
Top restaurant cities in the UK by Quality:
As part of the judging process, restaurants are given a score out of 5 for quality, and divided according to price category of ‘Under £60’ and ‘Over £60’ per head. Restaurants which achieve an elusive 4/5 or 5/5 rating are considered ‘top scorers’. These combined with their location are used to form the illustrious ‘Top Scorers’ table for quality and this year, Cheltenham has four top scoring restaurants and an UK top scorer rank of 8. This ranks us on a par with Bath, Windermere and York, and following closely behind Manchester, Glasgow and Bristol which each have 6 top scorers. In 2018, Cheltenham did not rank on the top scorers list at all, so we’re delighted to make it on the list this year and in joint eighth place no less!
Top restaurant cities in the UK in Total:
Harden’s review over 1,350 eateries at all price levels outside London, and a similar number within the boundaries of the Capital. By combining the rankings of over 2,500 restaurants, along with their locations, Harden’s produces the overall UK restaurant city rankings. This year, Manchester ranked top outside the Capital, meanwhile Cheltenham, which has 12 restaurants listed and reviewed, has achieved a UK-wide rank of 16, out of all the towns and cities in the country. We have increased our rank from 19th in 2018, a jump of three places on this fantastic list. We’re absolutely delighted to be on the up, particularly as many towns and cities have seen a drop down the list in the past 12 months.
100 best UK restaurants:
As part of this ‘user-generated content’ restaurant guide, naturally, the top 100 ranked restaurants form the 100 best UK restaurants list. Of these, congratulations must go to two Cheltenham Restaurants – Lumière, purveyors of British fine dining – who have come in at 61 on the top 100 list, and Le Champignon Sauvage which has come in at rank 64. Both offer exceptional dining within the town and have their own avid followings – definitely worth a trip if you’ve not been yet!
Marketing Cheltenham 