Gourmet world left shaken by loss of three coveted Michelin stars for trio of eateries

Three Chimneys on Skye and Knockinaam Lodge at Portpatrick, Galloway, have also lost out. Knockinaam had held its star for 23 years, the longest of any current restaurant in Scotland.

But there is good news for The Cellar in Anstruther, which has been awarded the prestigious gong only months after opening under locally-born chef Billy Boyter in April 2014.

The verdict is bound to shake Scotland’s burgeoning culinary confidence, as it brings the total of single Michelin-starred establishments – which are rated by the organisation as “high quality cooking, worth a stop” – down from 15 to 13.

Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire remains the only one in Scotland to have two stars. Those with Bib Gourmands for 'good quality, good value cooking' remain unchanged with nine in Scotland.

Glasgow remains star-less, though it can still boast three Bib Gourmands on a par with Edinburgh.

Billy Boyter, chef-proprietor of The Cellar, last night declared himself “shocked and completely staggered” at the news. He opened The Cellar - formerly owned by the late Peter Jukes, who died in 2012 - with his parents last year, having spent eight years at the Michelin starred Restaurant Number One at the Balmoral in Edinburgh, three of them as head chef. He updated Jukes’ traditional seafood menu to showcase his modern Scottish cooking: his signature dish is locally-sourced pork belly with tempura West Coast oysters and a lovage emulsion.

Boyter, 33, who is from Anstruther and attended Glenrothes College, told The Herald: “We only opened in April 2014 and I wasn’t looking for Michelin stars straight away. My intention was to establish a good Scottish restaurant and I hoped to gain the accolades over time. We had a Michelin inspector in within months of opening. This news is just amazing. It will put more pressure on us, but we will not change what we do – we will just try to keep improving.”

Knockinaam Lodge at Portpatrick, Galloway, has retained a Michelin star for 23 years, 20 of them under head chef Tony Pierce. Proprietor David Ibbotson said: “Obviously we’re disappointed at losing our star after so long, especially as guest comments and TripAdvisor posts have never been better. We will continue to cook for our guests, though perhaps we’ll see how we can freshen things up. Perhaps the Michelin inspectors are looking for something more cutting-edge, but we’re not going to make any wholesale changes.”

The news is a disappointment, though not a surprise, for The Three Chimneys on Skye, which lost its head chef Michael Smith earlier this year just months after attracting the iconic restaurant’s first Michelin star last October .

Shirley Spear, founder and proprietor of the Three Chimneys, told The Herald: “Scott Davies became Head Chef in June and since then he has successfully led the restaurant team through a considerable amount of change and restructure. We’ve had an outstanding summer and I’m delighted to say that the whole team is thriving.

“From day one, we were fully aware that all of The Three Chimneys awards and accolades would be under review due to the change in Head Chef. Our Michelin Star came as a complete surprise last year and we completely respect the Guide’s decision this year.

“Moving forward, I know Scott will continue with his ultimate aChimneys Restaurant, and we will support him every step of the way.”

Dominic Jack, chef-patron at Castle Terrace, which gained its Michelin star in 2011, told The Herald: "For the last five years, Castle Terrace has established itself as one of Scotland's leading restaurants, building an incredibly loyal customer base along the way. Our talented team is committed to delivering the highest levels of exellence day in, day out, and today's announcement won't change that."