The fine dining restaurant, located on an estate near the Belgian border, was founded in 1852 and has had a Michelin star since 1969. Today it is run by the 6th generation of the family, Céline and Erwan Guillou-Gaul.

“We wanted to change things to please our customers and make our restaurant more accessible. It means starting from scratch and giving up our star,” Erwan Guillou told Explorator, Delano’s sister site, on 25 September.

“The star throws more spanners in the works than anything else. This scares off a certain clientele, who fear high prices and makes us more subject to criticism,” he said.

“We will be flattered if Michelin rewards us again, but it will be with our vision, our way of doing things,” Guillou stated. “We will keep using high-end produce, but prepared more simply, with less sophisticated presentation, but still fine dining.”

La Gaichel closes on 31 December 2018 and Le jardin de la Gaichel opens on 1 February 2019.

The family also runs a pair of hotels and two other restaurants.