Michelin star: Two more Edinburgh restaurants awarded prestigious Michelin stars as 2023 UK Guide announced

Two Edinburgh restaurants are celebrating after being awarded highly-coveted Michelin stars, bringing the Capital’s tally to five overall, with three of the esteemed eateries situated in Leith.

Timberyard, which is located on Lady Lawson Street, and Heron, on Henderson Street, became the latest venues to be presented with the prestigious accolade.

Both restaurants were given their awards by the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland at an annual ceremony, which took place at Silverstone Circuit in Northampton on Monday (March 27).

Timberyard and Heron join Martin Wishart, The Kitchin and Condita as the city’s Michelin star eateries.

Heron’s two talented head chefs, Sam Yorke and Tomás Gormley, become the pair are the youngest chefs in Scotland to receive a Michelin star for their restaurant.

Since opening in 2021, Heron offers farm to table fine dining with an a-la-carte menu and two tasting menus that change every few weeks, showcasing the best of Scotland’s seasonal produce including organic fruit & vegetables from The Free Company, wild fish & seafood from Belhaven Lobsters, game & heritage breed meat from MacDuff Butchers from the Lothians and Scottish Borders.

On their win, Sam said: “To say that I’m delighted would be an understatement. It means a great deal to be recognised by such a prestigious organisation for our work at Heron.

“It’s a real testament to the unwavering focus and dedication of the entire team, without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Tomás added: “If you had asked me two years ago, when Sam and I sat down to start planning our pop-up Bad Seeds, I would never have imagined this happening.

“This is a huge achievement for everyone, and I am so grateful that we get to go on this journey with them.”

This now means that Leith has the highest concentration of Michelin star restaurants per square metre outside of London, making it a foodie capital for the UK.

Meanwhile, Timberyard was awarded its first Michelin Star a decade after opening its doors in the heart of Edinburgh.

Owned and operated by Edinburgh’s Radford family since 2012, the restaurant continues to reinforce its position at the forefront of both Scottish and British dining. The Radford family, Ben, Jo, Abi, Andrew and Lisa, are all actively involved in the day-to-day operations.

For 10 years, Timberyard has remained focused on ingredient-led cooking created with respect to nature and produce, and sourced from local, artisan suppliers, and Scotland’s natural larder.

On Timberyard’s first Michelin Star award, Ben said: “The entire Timberyard team is delighted and couldn’t be more proud of such a tremendous achievement.

“Timberyard has always aimed to be at the forefront of both Scottish and British dining. The Michelin Star gives Jimmy and our team the recognition they deserve. The award also helps to firmly establish Timberyard’s place at the highest level of the country’s fine dining scene.

“To be included amongst great Edinburgh and national restaurants such as Martin Wishart’s and Lyles in London is a huge honour.”

Jo added: “The Radford family and the entire team have always strived to achieve great things at Timberyard and the family always believed in what we were capable of. With Jimmy coming on board as the final piece of the puzzle, we have now achieved the ultimate accolade and we couldn’t be more delighted.

“Thanks to the trust and loyalty of our team, as well as the passion and professionalism they have shown, we’re also extremely lucky to be celebrating our 10th anniversary in 2023, having survived some challenging obstacles along the way. Of course, we would not be where we are today without our loyal local and international supporters.

“Our standards have always been set high, and our ethos and sourcing has remained the same since day one.”

Timberyard’s Head Chef, Jimmy Murray, said: “It’s such a fantastic feeling for all involved to have been awarded our first Michelin Star. This has been so energising for me personally and I really look forward to our next exciting chapter.”