Midsummer House is a restaurant located in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, on the bank of the river Cam. It is a Victorian style house that was transformed into a restaurant over 20 years ago. It won its first

Michelin star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

in 2002, and a second in 2005. The chef patron is Daniel Clifford.

Description

The restaurant is located in a townhouse on the bank of the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to ...

, next to

Midsummer Common Midsummer Common is an area of common land in Cambridge, England. It lies northeast of the city centre on the south bank of the River Cam. The common borders the River Cam and houseboats are often moored on the common's bank. The boathouses ...

. The location of the restaurant has been a problem in the past. Twice in 2001, the river overflowed its banks and the restaurant was flooded. In February, the water made it into the wine cellars. In November, with over of water covering the foundations and causing extensive damage to the floor of the dining room, the decision was made to close the restaurant for a month and redecorate at the cost of £100,000, including ripping up the damaged floor and replacing it. Daniel Clifford took over as head chef in 1998. He became the chef patron of the restaurant in 1999.

Awards

Midsummer House won its first Michelin star in 2002. It was awarded a second in 2004, becoming one of eleven restaurants in the UK and Ireland to hold two stars; it was the only restaurant to be elevated to that level that year. It has been awarded five

AA Rosette AA Limited, trading as The AA (formerly The Automobile Association), is a British motoring association. Founded in 1905, it provides vehicle insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans, motoring advice, road maps and other services. The ...

s, elevated to this status in the 2014 AA Awards. In the

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Good Food Guide 2016 Midsummer House was awarded a cooking score of 8/10, and ranked at number 7 in the guide's top 50 UK restaurants. In 2014 Midsummer House was voted first place in the TripAdvisor "Travellers Choice Awards" within the UK, and second place in the world. On 5 October 2015 Daniel Clifford was awarded the Chefs Chef of the Year award at the 2015/16 AA awards. Daniel Clifford was praised for turning Midsummer House into one of the country's finest restaurants, while being an "inspiration to so many chefs at all levels"

References

{{coord, 52.2124, -0.1277, region:GB_scale:5000, display=title Restaurants in Cambridgeshire Shops in Cambridge Michelin Guide starred restaurants in the United Kingdom