Cheddargate

Sacré cordon bleu! Chef Marc Veyrat has lost his case against the Guide Michelin for downgrading his restaurant from 3 stars ('one of the best') to 2 (merely 'excellent'). The overstrung onion chopper claimed this event 'threw me into a profound depression' and that it was 'worse than the loss of my parents, worse than anything'.

Mille tonnerres (or perhaps mille tommes)! The worst insult, apparently, was the suggestion that the histrionic hors d'oeuvres server might have used English cheddar in his soufflé. He was also 'dishonoured' that Michelin had taken his 'virtual scallops to be real scallops when they were made from a base of Lake Geneva burbot livers'.

Well, quite. M. Veyrat charges €395 (plus the wine) for the Menu 'La Grande Fête dans les Etoiles' and no doubt it's worth every sou(s chef). Business is, by his own admission, 'booming'; I'm sure losing this case will do him no harm at all. 

As long as he can overcome the depression.

La Maison des Bois!

has lost a star

but at 500 quid or more for dinner

Veyrat's still a winner.

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