Search

Ruth Hansom, Head Chef of The Princess of Shoreditch, has reached the finals of the Roux Scholarship. Ruth was the first woman to win National Young Chef of the Year. Ruth was a finalist in Great British Menu 2020 and cooked at the banquet. She also won BBC2 Million Pound Menu in 2018. Our co-founder Mecca Ibrahim, interviewed her just before the regional finals.

Great British Menu (GBM) returned to our screens in March for season 15. The BBC2 show puts the nation’s most talented chefs to the test. At Women in the Food Industry we are continuing our series of interviews with the strong female line-up of chefs from across Britain competing to serve their dish at the final banquet. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, interviewed Ruth Hansom, Former Head Chef at Pomona’s and first ever female winner of Young National Chef of The Year.

We had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with Head Chef, Ruth Hansom, of Pomona’s on Hereford Road in Notting Hill who  joined the line up of chefs who competed in the Bocuse d’Or National Selection on 30th September at The Restaurant Show. The Bocuse d’Or,  is the world’s largest and most prestigious cooking contest and Ruth was the only female chef to make the finals to represent the UK. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, spoke to Ruth about the competition behind the scenes at London’s busy Olympia Exhibition Centre in our podcast and interview.

We were delighted to hear there is finally a female chef in with a chance of representing the UK in the Bocuse d’Or, the world’s largest and most prestigious cooking contest. Head Chef, Ruth Hansom, of  Pomona’s on Hereford Road in Notting Hill has joined the line up of chefs who will compete in the Bocuse d’Or National Selection.

Thanks to new Head Chef, Ruth Hansom, Pomona’s in Notting Hill is going through a transformation. One that celebrates the best of British ingredients with an assured hand, inventiveness and an emphasis on sharing. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, was invited to lunch with a select group of food writers to sample the menu.

This year Plates became the first UK plant-based restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star, after siblings Kirk and Keeley Haworth opened in July 2024 in Old Street, East London. Together they’ve built up Plates into an award-winning restaurant with a sustainable, dynamic, innovation business model at its core. Women In the Food Industry Ambassador & Writer, Antonia Lloyd, interviews Keeley on how they’ve built their success, their summer launch of Plates farm and retreat in the south west of France.

For the first time ever, the national final of The Roux Scholarship  sees gender parity in its chefs. Nikoletta Theofylaktidou, Erin Jackson Yates and Katherine Altham all qualified thanks to the high standard of their dishes – which used red gurnard, mussels, dulse and parsnips – that they cooked in the regional finals on 6th March.

This February Emily Roux was awarded her first Michelin star for her Notting Hill restaurant Caractère with her husband, Diego Ferrari, where they serve a menu taking influence from Diego’s Italian and Emily’s French heritage with an emphasis on relaxed dining.  Women In the Food Industry Ambassador, Antonia Lloyd, interviewed trailblazer Emily to find out more about her road to success, future ambitions, and what’s coming up this spring.

Great British Menu Book – A cookbook celebrating the 20th series with a selection of dishes that made it to the banquets over the years and ones that were incredible that didn’t quite get there. Our co-founder Mecca Ibrahim spoke to the show’s Series Producer Avril Beaven who collated all of the 80 recipes for the book and worked on the production of this stunning book.

Join Craft Guild of Chefs Wellness Ambassador Andy Aston and an inspiring panel of female industry leaders including Women in the Food Industry co-founder Mex Ibrahim as they share personal stories of resilience, building confidence, and achieving success in the hospitality industry. Discover how they’ve tackled challenges head-on, and leave with practical, actionable tips to boost your confidence and support your colleagues in doing the same. This session promises to be both insightful and inspiring.

The Roux Family is delighted to announce that acclaimed Basque chef Elena Arzak will lead the panel of judges for the Roux Scholarship final 2025 as Honorary President of Judges.

The Young National Chef of the Year (YNCOTY) awards were announced on Tuesday 8th October at a lively ceremony at London’s Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square. Taking the runner-up spot was Rosie Welch from L’Enclume with Keira Carolan from Simon Rogan’s Henrock taking the third place spot. The  VIP Awards evening took place in front of some of the industry’s biggest names.