My first visit to an officially recognised Michelin hotel was not what I would have expected. Like many of us, I tend to look to Paris or further south for gastronomic treats. But the Château de Beaulieu is near St Omer, in northern France — about an hour’s drive from Calais or Lille station. It felt like cheating to board a Eurostar at 9am and be sitting down for lunch by 1pm (that’s including the one-hour time difference), but there I was at the château, with its sweeping gardens and fabulous, locally sourced food.
In April the guide introduced the Michelin key, a tiered system similar to its stars that is being rolled out, country by country, during this year; those for Japan will be