While Michelin keeps its staff numbers secret, industry insiders say the guide cannot keep up with the thousands of restaurants in the guide

How many inspectors does it take to review the country’s best restaurants – a pinch, a baker’s dozen? For more than a century the answer has been kept secret by the world’s authority on good food: the Michelin Guide.

But the French tyre company’s famous hotel and restaurant reference book has been challenged by chefs, restaurant critics and diners, who question whether the guide has enough of its anonymous inspectors to adequately review and monitor the eateries that are included each year.