Fat Duck Flies To The Top Of The Chart   Heston Blumenthal has beaten off fierce competition from rival superchefs and made The Fat Duck the best restaurant in the UK, says The Good Food Guide 2008. The new-look Good Food Guide has for the first time ranked the best UK restaurants to produce a gastronomic top 40*. Gordon Ramsay's Chelsea restaurant is at number 2, Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons at number 3. All top-three establishments score nine out of ten, awarded for cooking that "reaches a pinnacle of achievement". But Heston Blumenthal pipped the opposition by producing "white-hot gastronomic alchemy". The Guide's review is peppered with superlatives: "Astonishing curiosity, daring and consummate technique&ldots; sets the senses racing&ldots; the kitchen works miracles". Heston Blumenthal, chef, The Fat Duck, says: "The Fat Duck has received huge worldwide acclaim but being voted the Best in Britain is of special significance to us personally. The Good Food Guide is the longest serving UK restaurant guide and we are really privileged to have received this award from their readers - our diners." The highest new entry is Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Cornwall in at number 12, which demonstrates "refined, beautifully crafted cooking" in a relaxed setting. Other newcomers include Gidleigh Park, Devon ("exemplary country-house dining") at number 18 and Edinburgh's Kitchin ("classy cooking in a converted warehouse") at 38. The Good Food Guide is extremely thorough, as you might expect of a book produced by Which?** The rankings are not just based on expert inspections but also reader feedback, so the evaluations are based on several meals rather than one. Elizabeth Carter, editor of The Good Food Guide, says:"Both Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc's restaurants are unmissable experiences, but The Fat Duck has produced truly stunning food this year. Congratulations to Heston Blumenthal for daring to push at the boundaries of modern cooking and pulling it off spectacularly." * The Good Food Guide 2008 Restaurant Top 40 (cooking scores in brackets : 1 Fat Duck, Bray (9)/ 2 Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road, London (9) / 3 Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Great Milton (9) / 4 Winteringham Fields, Winteringham (8) / 5 Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham(8) / 6 Le Gavroche, London (8) / 7 Pétrus, London (8) / 8 Waterside Inn, Bray (8) / 9 Vineyard, Stockross (8) / 10 Square, London (8) / 11 Pied à Terre, London (8) / 12 Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Cornwall (8) / 13 L'Enclume, Cumbria (8) / 14 Tom Aikens, London (8) / 15 Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh (8) / 16 The Capital, London (7) / 17 Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham (7) / 18 Gidleigh Park (7), Devon / 19 Anthony's, Leeds (7) / 20 Juniper, Leeds (7) / 21 Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Perthshire (7) / 22 Hambleton Hall, Rutland (7) / 23 Holbeck Ghyll, Cumbria (7) / 24 Fischer's Baslow Hall, Derbyshire (7) / 25 Tyddyn Llan, Wales (7) / 26 Harry's Place, Lincolnshire (7) / 27 The Creel, Highlands (7) / 28 Mr Underhill's, Shropshire (7) / 29 Bohemia, St Helier, Jersey(7) / 30 Castle Hotel, Taunton (7) / 31 Chester Grosvenor, Cheshire (7) / 32 Old Vicarage, Ridgeway, Derdyshire (7) / 33 Midsummer House, Cambridge (6) / 34 Maze, London (6) / 35 Club Gascon, London (6) / 36 Simpsons, West Midlands (6) / 37 Bath Priory, Somerset (6) / 38 Kitchin, Edinburgh (6) / 39 The Greenhouse (6), London / 40 Ledbury, London (6).   Cooking scores 9/10 At the moment, this is the highest mark in The Guide and is not given lightly. This mark is for cooking that has reached a pinnacle for achievement, making it a memorable experience for the diner. 8/10 A kitchen cooking close to or at the top of its game - highly individual, showing faultless technique and impressive artistry in dishes that are perfectly balanced for flavour, combination and texture. 7/10 High level of ambition and individuality, attention to the smallest detail, accurate and vibrant dishes. 6/10 Exemplary cooking skills, innovative ideas, impeccable ingredients and an element of excitement.