L'Ortolan is a gourmet restaurant in the village of Shinfield

Shinfield

Shinfield is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, just south of Reading. It contains and is administered by the unitary authority of Wokingham District.-Geography:...

, 6 km (4 mi) south of the centre of Reading, Berkshire

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

, England. It is located in the village's old vicarage building.

The restaurant has one star in the Michelin Guide

Michelin Guide

The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...

 and 3 AA rosettes

Run by John Burton Race for 13 years, the restaurant was purchased by IT entrepreneur Peter Newman in 2000 who appointed Alan Murchison

Alan Murchison

Alan Murchison is a Michelin-starred Scottish chef and restaurateur living and working in England.-Career:Alan has always been in the restaurant business taking up his first post in the kitchen as a porter at the age of 14...

 as head chef.

Alan left in 2003 and Daniel Galmiche took over for a year. Alan Murchison returned in 2004, heading up the company that was given the contract to run the restaurant.

In 2006 The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...

 highlighted L'ortolan’s Chef's Table as one of the very best in the country.

L’ortolan featured on BBC2's 2009 Great British Menu

Great British Menu

Great British Menu is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four course banquet. The first series banquet was for the Queen on her 80th birthday. The second series was to cook for the British Ambassador to France at the British Embassy...

 (season 4) when Murchison took part in the Scottish heats.

In addition to operating L'ortolan, Alan's company owns and operates La Bécasse

La Bécasse

La Bécasse is a gourmet restaurant located in Ludlow, Shropshire, England. The restaurant has one Michelin star in the Michelin Guide and 3 AA rosettes. It was first given a Michelin star in January 2009. Chef Patron Alan Murchison opened the restaurant in 2007...

 Restaurant, in Ludlow

Ludlow

Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...

, Shropshire, England.