Mallorca's Stars

With a stop-start year for the restaurant sector, which is now facing a very bleak festive season and start to the new year, it’s a great honour for the island’s gastronomy sector to not only have retained its seven Michelin Stars but to have also added two more - not to mention a handful of new awards for sustainable cooking.

When and how the Michelin inspectors managed to slip into the island and snoop around the top restaurants, I don’t know, but they obviously did and the results are excellent news not only for the chefs and their teams, but for Mallorca’s image as a flourishing gastronomic island - especially considering that all of the chefs do their best to try and promote local Mallorcan dishes and produce.

How those who have managed to remain open will cope with the new restrictions remains to be seen, because demand and interest will surely surge on the back of their retaining and winning their stars. Sadly, those whose restaurants don’t have terraces will have to close, while those that do can just pray that the weather stays mild and they can enjoy some lunchtime trade until the curfews are lifted and their bookings take off. Congratulations all round.