
Adding to the abundance of accolades that the restaurant has received, Higher Ground has now been awarded a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide 2024 – and the Manchester restaurant hasn’t even been open one year yet! The news comes ahead of the Michelin Guide 2024 awards ceremony being held at The Midland Hotel in Manchester on February 5.
Named after Bibendum – the official name of the Michelin Man – Bib Gourmand is a distinction which highlights restaurants offering great quality, great value cooking. Higher Ground is now one of only two restaurants in the city to be honoured with a Bib Gourmand, the other being The Spärrows, which received the award last year.
Opening on Manchester’s New York Street in February 2023, Higher Ground, a neo-bistro with a focus on seasonal dishes using locally sourced ingredients was launched by three friends, front-of-house man Richard Cossins, chef Joe Otway and wine expert Daniel Craig-Martin.
Higher Ground was already included in the renowned Michelin Guide, and was added in September 2023, having impressed inspectors with its “top quality produce” and dishes that are “packed with flavour”. The restaurant was recently shortlisted for the ‘Best New Restaurant’ award by The Good Food Guide and has been ranked in the National Restaurant Awards top 100 list.
The description in the Michelin Guide reads: “What started life as a pop-up in 2020 is now a permanent spot in the heart of the city, owned and run by three friends who also operate wine bar Flawd and a market garden in the Cheshire countryside. The latter provides much of the top quality produce found on the menu, in dishes that are designed for sharing and packed with flavour.
“Sit at the large counter to see the chefs putting care and pride into every dish. The whole team, led by the owners, are charming and cheery.”
The Michelin Guide 2024 Awards will take place on February 5 and here’s hoping Manchester comes away with more awards and honourable mentions.