A SHIPSTON restaurant has been added to the prestigious Michelin guide, just four months after opening its doors.
Bastardo’s Trattoria, located off the High Street, was launched by Richard Craven, owner and head chef at Michelin-starred gastro pub The Royal Oak in Whatcote.
In the day it operates as coffee shop, bakery, deli and wine bar Ferment & Flour, before the Italian fine dining takes over in the evening.
The Michelin guide, put together by anonymous inspectors who travel the world and rate restaurants on their mastery of flavour, quality of produce and consistency, praised Bastardo’s, a self-described ‘illegitimate trattoria’, as “a love letter to straightforward Italian cooking, fused with seasonal British ingredients”.
The expert reviewers advised starting with a couple of cicchetti before one of the “stand-out homemade pastas” or “well-crafted crab agnolotti”.
They also singled out the friendly service for what they dubbed “a winning formula”.
Bastardo’s and Ferment & Flour in Granville Court was previously home to Bardia’s café, and before that, the Three Yews.
Richard and Solanche Craven.
When the venue opened in August, Richard said he and his co-owner and wife Solanche had been dreaming of the concept for a while.
He explained he loves Italian food and worked for Italians for seven years, while Solanche spent time in London on a wine course and was inspired by greengrocers, butchers, coffee shops and wine bars that morphed into a different phase throughout the day and evening, and believed it would work well in a small market town like Shipston.
The key members of the kitchen team have all worked with Richard and Solanche at the Royal Oak, including head chef John Broughton.
Before opening, they transformed the interior of the unit including refurbishing the bathrooms and kitchen.
Richard told the Herald: “We’re really proud to see Bastardo’s Trattoria added to the Michelin Guide after just four months.
“It’s a great reflection of the team’s hard work, consistency and care.
“John Broughton has been a brilliant partner in bringing the concept and our ethos to life and, together with our former apprentice Charlie Vale and the rest of the trattoria team, they’ve taken the opening vision and turned it into something genuinely welcoming, characterful and delicious – a true little sister to The Royal Oak.”
Richard and Solanche also have something else to celebrate, as earlier this month The Royal Oak was included in the Harden’s Top 100 for the first time.
This annual ranking of the best UK restaurants is based on a poll of thousands of diners and is highly respected in the hospitality industry.
Richard added: “It’s been a very special end to the year.”
Dining and Cooking