Daniel Clifford’s Midsummer House named second-best rated in the world

Daniel Clifford’s Midsummer House, Cambridge has been named the second-best rated fine dining establishment in the world by the 2014 Travellers’ Choice Restaurants awards, announced by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site.

The awards honour travellers' favourite fine dining establishments worldwide, based on millions of reviews and opinions on TripAdvisor. Clifford, who has represented the Central region twice on Great British Menu, celebrates taking the UK top spot for the first time with his restaurant Midsummer House in Cambridge. He said: “I am delighted that Midsummer House has been named the second-best restaurant in the world in these awards. TripAdvisor has become such a huge platform for guests to communicate experiences within our industry. At Midsummer House we welcome feedback from our guests and therefore monitor our TripAdvisor page closely.”

Daniel went on to say that he is proud of the team and what they have achieved in the last twelve months. The fact that that the award acknowledges this via customer feedback makes them jubilant as his team aims to make the establishment “the best experience for all of our diners.” The strength of the sector is reinforced with two other entrants in the list - Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons (number eight) and Michel Roux Jr.’s Le Gavroche (number nine). In fact, the UK has more of the world’s top ten fine dining restaurants than any other country bar Spain.

The coveted title of number one restaurant in the world has gone to Spain’s El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, run by Roca brothers, Josep, Jordi and Joan. The brothers serve up dishes such as lobster parmentier with black trumpets, a dish so successful it has been on the menu since 1988. One reason for the popularity of Clifford's restaurant could be because of his appearances on Great British Menu. Over half of British travellers visit particular restaurants to claim that they have eaten in world-famous establishments owned by celebrity chefs.

This can lead to restaurants such as Midsummer House giving its region “a real visitor boost” according to TripAdvisor spokesperson, James Kay. “With winning restaurants spread right across the UK, these awards are further proof of the country’s thriving fine dining scene.” A survey of over 3,000 British travellers by TripAdvisor revealed that a third have visited a restaurant because of its celebrity status, while more than two-thirds of those who visit fine dining restaurants seek recommendations from online reviews. Travellers’ Choice Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants UK:  

1. Midsummer House, Cambridge
2. Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton
3. Le Gavroche, London
4. Adam’s, Birmingham
5. Lumiere, Cheltenham
6. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
7. Restaurant Gordon Ramsey, London
8. Maison Bleue Restaurant, Bury St. Edmunds
9. Gidleigh Park, Chagford
10. The Fat Duck, Bray on Thames