Midsummer House

The restaurant is located in a townhouse on the bank of the River Cam, next to Midsummer Common.[1] 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 5 feet (1.5 m) 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.[2]

Daniel Clifford took over as head chef in 1998.[3] He became the chef patron of the restaurant in 1999.[2] The restaurant is owned by Russell Morgan, who also owns the catering company Crown Group.[2]

Daniel Clifford is releasing his 1st book on 21 June 2018, titled "Out of my Tree". The book is both a cookbook and autobiography.

Midsummer House won its first Michelin star in 2002.[2] It was awarded a second in 2005, 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.[4] It has been awarded five AA Rosettes, elevated to this status in the 2014 AA Awards.[5] In the Waitrose 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.[6]

In 2014 Midsummer House was voted first place in the TripAdvisor "Travellers Choice Awards" within the UK, and second place in the World.[7] On winning the award, the two Michelin star chef, Daniel Clifford, said: "The fact that these awards are based on customer feedback makes us so happy, as we strive to make our Cambridge restaurant the best experience for all of our diners."[8]

On 5 October 2015 Daniel Clifford was awarded the prestigious award of Chefs Chef of the Year at the 2015/16 AA awards held at the Grosvenor House Hotel. 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" [9]