JÖRO brings a Michelin star home to Sheffield after a ten-year journey

There was real cause for celebration on the edge of Sheffield this year. At the 2026 Michelin Guide ceremony in Dublin on Monday 9 February, JÖRO was awarded its first Michelin star, bringing to an end a decade-long wait for Michelin recognition to return to the city.

Behind the restaurant are chef Luke French and Stacey Sherwood-French, who are husband and wife as well as business partners. Luke was raised in Cambridgeshire and started out as a kitchen porter before moving into professional cookery, with time at Alimentum and Midsummer House and a stage at The Fat Duck. He later moved to Sheffield and worked his way up to head chef at The Milestone, which is where he met Stacey.

The couple launched JÖRO in 2016 inside shipping containers in Kelham Island. It quickly made a name for itself with ambitious tasting menus, earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand and three AA Rosettes. In December 2024, after eight years in Kelham Island, they opened what they called JÖRO 2.0 at Oughtibridge Mill, a 19th-century former paper mill that they transformed into a larger home for the business.

The name means "earth" and is pronounced "Yoro". The dining room is informal and open plan, with just 11 tables, a view of the kitchen and no dress code. Michelin's inspectors praised Luke's "focused and flavourful" cooking and the "excellent service", and the Guide described the move to Oughtibridge as one of the most exciting and impressive (re)openings of the year. The restaurant itself described the star as the culmination of a ten-year journey.

Luke's food blends technical precision with bold flavour, drawing on British seasonal ingredients alongside the Nordic and Asian influences that have shaped his career. Guests can choose the ÖNE menu at £75 per person or the signature TWÖ tasting menu at £140, and there is a Sunday set feast at £55.

The mill is more than a restaurant. There are seven bedrooms for anyone who would rather not drive home, and a bar and terrace open Wednesday to Sunday from 9am, serving pastries, drinks and an informal barbecue and bar snack menu.

For a restaurant that began life in a stack of shipping containers, it is a heart-warming story and a proud moment for the whole city. Menus, rooms and bookings can be found on the JÖRO website.