It is another great year for women chefs in The Roux Scholarship: four women from establishments across the UK are getting ready to compete at the regional finals on 5th March 2026. Among them are two chefs, Katherine Altham and Nikoletta Theofylaktidou, who both competed in the national final in 2025. They are joined by two other women chefs, Rosie Bull from The Black Swan at Oldstead, and Jasmin Layzell who both entered for the first time this year.

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.

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.

There are three female chefs competing in the Roux Scholarship regional finals in 2024, all of whom are new to the competition. They are: Evelina Stripeikyte, Megan Montibert and Rebecca Tough. Discover more about them ahead of the regional finals.

Ambassador of Women In the Food Industry, Antonia Lloyd, interviews 29-year-old sous chef April Lily Partridge from The Ledbury (2*) on her recent triumph winning the coveted Roux Scholarship.

At Women in the Food Industry we are interviewing the strong female line-up of chefs on Great British Menu from across Britain competing to serve their dish at the final banquet. Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, interviewed Wolverhampton born, Sabrina Gidda, Executive Chef at Allbright who is representing the Central region starting the 24th March.

Executive Chef at The Allbright Collective | Entrant of BBC’s Great British Menu 2018 | Tatler magazine’s ‘Rising Star’ | Two time finalist in the Roux Scholarship