It’s the time when chefs up and down the country spend many a sleepless night waiting for the release the Michelin Guide. For those of us not in the industry, it can be quite overwhelming too. With all of the additions, deletions, rises and falls, it’s hard to know where to look for a simple summary. Help is at hand, we’ve waded through the Michelin 2016 results to bring you the essential (and perhaps not-so-essential) facts and figures in a handy infographic form.

Let’s start with a definition of what those stars mean. Going back to Michelin’s travel roots, the guide was set up in 1900 to encourage the public to drive more. It was a guide to help culinary curiosity and exploration. Very simply put, those restaurants awarded three stars have exceptional cuisine and are 'worth a special journey.' Restaurants with two stars were 'worth a detour' and those with one star had 'high quality cooking, worth a stop.' Much is hidden behind those quaint definitions but if you’re looking for more insider knowledge take a look at our interview with Derek Bulmer, former Michelin Guide inspector and editor.

Taking a look at how Michelin stars are spread across the UK and Ireland, it’s no surprise that with the largest population, England leads the way in numbers of stars. London holds a greater number of Michelin stars than the rest of Britain and Ireland combined.

For the first time, we see two Michelin stars in Northern Ireland.

Once again, no new three-Michelin-starred restaurants this year, but some very notable new stars for Michael O’Hare (The Man Behind the Curtain), Shay Cooper (The Goring), George Blogg (Gravetye Manor) and Mitsuhiro Araki (Araki).