The Michelin Guide awarded its highly coveted two-star restaurant rating to Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in 1984 before it had served a single meal – a remarkable lapse from its much-vaunted standards that I noticed and at once exposed.

I shall never forget the behaviour of its editor – moving from the squirmingly obsequious, through the haughtily superior (me, a mere provincial hack!) and finally to the downright aggressive – as I repeatedly posed a very difficult to answer question.

This was, of course: “How can a guide that prides itself on the rigour of its inspections award almost its top honour [there were/are fewer than five three-star places] to a restaurant that has yet to open?”

I was given some guff about allowing M. Blanc to move with the stars he had already earned at Le Quat’ Saisons, in Oxford’s Summertown. A bizarre concept, this, since it would allow Gordon Ramsay, say, the holder of three stars at his eponymous London trough, to have the same honour whenever he opened a new establishment.

The truth of the matter was that the Michelin Man’s strange largesse would have gone undetected by the public had Le Manoir opened when it should have done. In fact, construction problems delayed the start up for about six months. Whoops!

There can be no denying, of course, that Raymond deserved the accolade, which he has continued to hold down all the years since. But it has always seemed to me that the guide’s reluctance to give a third star to Le Manoir might have something to do with its unprecedented eagerness in awarding the first two.

It will be understood, then, that I am not the greatest fan of the little red book which all in the catering industry consider to be – alas, with good reason – so important to business.

The 2010 edition has just been published (Michelin, £15.99) and I have been casting a critical eye over it. (First criticism: Why, in a book for the British market, are tyres – Michelin’s raison d’être – spelt ‘tires’ throughout?) Before any more moans, though, I must offer heartiest congratulations to Ryan Simpson, the 26-year-old chef and general manager of The Goose at Britwell Salome which becomes one of the guide’s 11 new starred restaurants.

As recently as last September I was singing his praises in The Oxford Times in an article headlined, somewhat perspicaciously, “Ryan heads for the top”.

I ought, too, to congratulate Michael North, who became Michelin’s youngest starred chef in his days at The Goose, for holding on to the star he earned last year at his new restaurant and pub, The Nut Tree at Murcott.

Also in the roll call of honour are the local establishments to hold the guide’s Bib Gourmand, which denotes good food at moderate prices.

These are The Masons Arms at Swerford, near Chipping Norton; The Green Dragon, Haddenham; The Kingham Plough; The Mole, Toot Baldon; and The Cafe at Daylesford Organic, near Chipping Norton.

So what is my gripe? It is over the obvious places missing from the guide. Let’s look only at Oxford where one would have expected a listing for Gee’s (see right), which is mine and many other people’s city favourite, and La Cucina in St Clement’s, which is also much approved by those in the know, as are Michael’s Kitchen in Gloucester Green and Portabello in South Parade.

Missing, too, are The Anchor in Hayfield Road, which the rival Good Food Guide properly identifies as having “the best pub food in Oxford”, the ever-delightful Cherwell Boathouse, Edamamé in Holywell Street and last but not least – certainly in terms of popularity – Jamie’s Italian.