The long-standing editor of the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2011 says pubs could achieve two Michelin star status in the next few years.
Derek Bulmer, who has retired from the guide after 33 years, said: "We are not a million miles away from a pub achieving this. This will be the next big news for pubs."
There are 16 restaurants that hold two Michelin stars, with two achieving the accolade in the new 2011 guide — Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Rock, Cornwall and Helene Darroze at the Connaught in London's Mayfair.
Other restaurants with two stars include Pied a Terre in Camden, London and Claude Boisi's Hibiscus in Mayfair.
Boisi's former pub the Bell Inn, Yarpole, Herefordshire, lost its Michelin Bib Gourmand in the 2011 guide.
Bulmer added: "I think more pubs will get stars and Bib Gourmands. The pub environment is very conducive to the spirit of the Bib Gourmand which is simple food prepared with care and the right ingredients."
Pub stars
Over a third of the 26 new Bib Gourmands were awarded to pubs. There are 118 sites that hold this award.
Steve and Nicola Reynolds' Stagg at Titley, Herefordshire, was the first pub to be awarded a Michelin star in 2001. There are ten pubs that hold a Michelin star. The Pony & Trap in Chew Magna, Somerset gained a Michelin star in the new guide.
Bulmer has been replaced by Rebecca Burr as the guide's editor in chief. The 2011 guide is the centenary edition.
Burr said: "There is no doubt that 2010 was a difficult year but those hotels and restaurants that represented value for money, at whatever price, were the ones who were best placed to weather the storm.
"We found 12 new one star establishments and awarded 26 new Bib Gourmands which readers particularly appreciate for their moderate prices."
