The Fat Duck, the pioneering British restaurant that introduced the world to delicacies such as sardine on toast sorbet and bacon and egg ice cream, has been declared the world's best place to eat.

Chef Heston Blumenthal's restaurant in the Berkshire village of Bray topped a list of the world's 50 best restaurants which was unveiled in London last night.

Fourteen British restaurants were included on the list chosen by a panel of more than 600 chefs, food critics and restaurateurs, who considered culinary excellence, service and the overall dining experience.

The British selections include Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Tom Aikens, St John, The Gallery at Sketch, Hakkasan and Nobu. Eleven of them are in London, two - The Fat Duck and the Waterside Inn - are in Bray and Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons is in Oxford.

The strong showing by UK restaurants suggests the land of bangers and baked beans now boasts more world-class places to eat than the US and traditional gastronomic hotspots such as France and Italy.

Mr Blumenthal, whose scientific approach to creating new flavours has seen him dubbed the guru of "molecular gastronomy", said the Top 50 was a true reflection of an "incredibly exciting" UK restaurant scene.

"One of the key factors is the diversity of restaurants and styles of cooking on offer," he said. "And the great thing about this list is that it allows any restaurant, not just the £200-a-head gastronomic experiences, to pack an equal punch."

Mr Blumenthal, who writes for the Guardian, said his bizarre-sounding dishes such as snail porridge, were part of The Fat Duck's bid to create food that was both delicious and fun.

"It's a complete package of enjoyment I'm after," he said. "If I've discovered something new and get a sense of excitement about it, I want to pass it on to the customer in the dining room. It's like when you see an incredible view or drink a great bottle of wine - the experience is heightened if you share it with someone else."

Ella Johnston, the editor of Restaurant magazine which compiled the list, said the dynamic British restaurant scene was being driven by the public's growing enthusiasm for good food.

"British chefs used to just go abroad to the US and France," she said. "Now, with people becoming more adventurous eaters and with more money in London and the surrounding areas, they know they will have an audience for great food."

The Fat Duck's success pushed last year's top restaurant, The French Laundry in California, into third position behind Spain's legendary El Bulli. Only six New York restaurants made the Top 50 including Thomas Keller's Per Se in seventh place and Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Jean Georges in ninth.

The strong showing by British restaurants was endorsed by John Willoughby, the executive editor of New York-based Gourmet magazine. "Our position is that London is the best city in the world to eat in right now," he said. "Everyone here is amazed at the quality and the breadth of the restaurants."

And Mr Willoughby said he "wouldn't disagree" with the choice of The Fat Duck as the world's best restaurant.

"It might just be the most fun restaurant I have ever eaten in," he said. "Everything was inventive and more important than that it tasted wonderful."

Not everyone agrees the list is a fair reflection of the world's restaurant scene, however.

Jay Rayner, The Observer's food critic, was deeply sceptical. "By no stretch of the imagination are 14 of the best restaurants in the world in the UK," he said. "There are some really good things going on in the UK and I would happily put The Fat Duck at No 1 if someone asked where the most exciting place to eat in UK was. But the list is a collection of 50 good restaurants, some of which deserve to be there, some of which don't."

Mr Rayner said The Ivy - ranked No 44 on the list - was a "great brasserie", but not one of the best restaurants in the world. And he described Hakkasan - ranked at No 30 - as "a very good" Chinese restaurant. "But are we really saying the best Chinese restaurant in the entire world is in London right now?"

Mr Rayner pointed out that London has only one Michelin three-star restaurant and three two-star. Paris has more than half a dozen three-star restaurants and about 20 two-star establishments.

Chef Angela Hartnett, whose London restaurant Angela Hartnett at The Connaught was ranked No 27 on the list was more supportive.

"There are a lot more three-star restaurants in France, but I think we can match anyone," she said. "I often eat in New York and I think I eat much better here. The variety is amazing and the quality as well."

Ms Hartnett said the downside to London's restaurant scene was the high prices.

"New York is a hell of a lot cheaper, but the prices [in London] make customers more demanding - they expect the best," she said.

Ms Johnston agreed that the list could be seen as "Anglocentric", but she said it was not biased because it was chosen by an international panel that included prominent figures such as Keller and the Chinese chef Ken Hom.

Top 50 places to eat

1 The Fat Duck Bray, Berkshire

2 El Bulli Montjoi, Spain

3 The French Laundry Yountville, California

4 Tetsuya's Sydney

5 Gordon Ramsay London

6 Pierre Gagnaire Paris

7 Per Se New York

8 Tom Aikens London

9 Jean Georges New York

10 St John London

11 Michel Bras Laguiole, France

12 Le Louis XV Monte Carlo

13 Chez Panisse Berkeley, California

14 Charlie Trotter Chicago

15 Gramercy Tavern New York

16 Guy Savoy Paris

17 Restaurant Alain Ducasse Paris

18 The Gallery at Sketch London

19 The Waterside Inn Bray, Berkshire

20 Nobu London

21 Restaurante Arzak San Sebastián, Spain

22 El Raco de Can Fabes San Celoni, Spain

23 Checcino dal 1887 Rome

24 Le Meurice Paris

25 L'Hotel de Ville Crissier, Switzerland

26 L'Arpège Paris

27 Angela Hartnett at the Connaught London

28 Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons Oxford

29 Le Cinq Paris

30 Hakkasan London

31 Cal Pep Barcelona

32 Masa New York

33 Flower Drum Melbourne

34 WD50 New York

35 Le Quartier Francais Franschhoek, South Africa

36 Spice Market New York

37 Auberge de l'Ill Illhaeusern, Alsace

38 Manresa California

39 Restaurant Dieter Muller Begisch Gladbach, Germany

40 La Maison Troisgros Roanne, France

41 The Wolseley London

42 Rockpool Sydney

43 Yauatcha London

44 The Ivy London

45 Gambero Rosso San Vincenzo, Italy

46 The Cliff St James, Barbados

47 Le Gavroche London

48 Enoteca Pinchiorri Florence

49 Felix Hong Kong

50 La Tupina Bordeaux