Three Yorkshire restaurants to lose Green Star as Michelin scraps scheme
Three Yorkshire restaurants are set to lose their Green Star awarded by Michelin for sustainability after the guide has retired the award.
The famous Michelin Guide has long handed out stars for excellence to restaurants, but just six years ago it launched its Green Star aimed at recognising venues which put sustainability at the heart of the kitchen.
Three Yorkshire restaurants are currently holders of the Green Star - but that looks set to change by the end of the year.
Tommy Banks’ The Black Swan at Oldstead, The Yorkshire Post’s restaurant of the year Forge at Middleton Lodge and Homestead Kitchen in Goathland all look set to lose the star following the launch of ‘Mindful Voices’.
A statement on the Michelin website said Mindful Voices is a “global editorial platform” which will “shine a light on individuals who, through their commitment and endeavours, are proposing new methods within gastronomy, hospitality and wine”.
It said the new system will look beyond just gastronomy and focus on people across the hospitality sector, and confirmed the Green Star - which was limited to restaurants - will come to an end.
The Homestead Kitchen posted on Instagram questioning the ‘curious case of the disappearing Green Star’.
It said: “It was a great 15 months of the Green Star! We are still figuring our what is going on for Michelin in terms of the sudden u-turn after six years of awarding Green Stars.
“All we will say is, no matter what goes on in terms of external awards and recognition, the things that matter most to us is seeing our guests enjoying their time with us, having an unbelievable team who we would trust our lives with, who see us throught the good times and the bad and sticking to our ethos.
“We send our love to all the other amazing small restuarants who were in the Green Star club, too many to list, but seek them out and show your support too!”
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides, said: “Mindful Voices will give a platform to all those who are rewriting the rules in their respective fields.
“This new framework draws directly from what our inspection teams witness first-hand: encounters and experiences that are transforming how things are done and that deserve to be shared.
“Staying true to its identity and values, the MICHELIN Guide will amplify and give full resonance to these voices from the worlds of gastronomy, hospitality and wine, so that they can be heard, wherever they may be.”
The first step in the introduction of Mindful Voices will take place on June 1st 2026, at the Nordic Countries Ceremony.