Shwen Shwen and Row on 5 among Michelin Special Award 2026 winners

Tom Earnshaw, head chef at Bohemia, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Jersey, has been awarded the Young Chef Award at the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland’s 2026 ceremony.

 

Earnshaw, who has cooked at Michelin-starred restaurants including Moor Hall and Northcote in Lancashire and the Samling in Cumbria, joined Bohemia as sous chef in 2023. He took up his role as head chef in June last year.

 

Michelin’s Opening of the Year went to Shwen Shwen, the Sierra Leonean restaurant in Sevenoaks, Kent.

 

It was awarded a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2026 last week.

 

When collecting the award at the presentation ceremony at the Convention Centre in Dublin tonight, owner Maria Bradford said: “We literally represent the underrepresented, which is Sierra Leone.”

 

Meanwhile, Gordon Ramsay took to the stage to present the Sommelier Award, which went to Roxane Dupuy, executive head sommelier at Row on 5.

 

Further special awards included the Exceptional Cocktails Award, which went to Sebb’s in Glasgow, which also was awarded a Bib Gourmand last week.

 

The award, inaugurated in 2023, honours both specific bartenders and bar teams for craftsmanship, featuring innovative, high-quality or specialised cocktail menus. 

 

Head of drinks at Sebb’s Alasdair Shaw said: “I get my inspiration from food mostly. There’s a lot of work that goes into it – not just me, but the chefs, front of house, back of house. It’s a team effort.” 

 

Finally, the Michelin Guide also revealed its Service Award winner, Barbara Nealon, from Saint Francis Provisions in Cork.

 

The Special Awards were handed out at the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland’s 2026 ceremony in Dublin this evening.

 

The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2026

• 2026 Michelin stars revealed: All the new stars in the Great Britain & Ireland Guide
• Michelin green stars awarded in the 2026 guide
• Michelin Special Award 2026 winners
• Michelin reveals new Bib Gourmands for 2026 guide
• Restaurants that lost stars in 2026 Michelin Guide
• ‘Guinnesses are all around’: Chefs react to 2026 Michelin stars