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As Mental Health Awareness Week approaches (13-19 May 2024) Ambassador of Women In the Food Industry and Writer, Antonia Lloyd, talks to the Women Head Chefs making waves in their restaurant kitchens and why wellbeing matters.

Ambassador of Women In the Food Industry, Antonia Lloyd, talks to Clare Smyth MBE, the first and only British woman with 3 Michelin stars, at her London restaurant Core by Clare Smyth, and the new President of the Bocuse D’Or UK.

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.

This year’s message from the Roux Scholarship competition was clear from the start: they needed more women to enter to make sure to get more female finalists through the blind-judged first round. Following a Round Table discussion in October, which resulted in the publication of a White Paper addressing the challenges faced by female chefs working in the UK hospitality industry, the Roux Scholarship was ready to welcome them with open arms. The result? Four female chefs qualifying for the regional finals. We meet them ahead of the  regional finals on March 9th.

At Women in the Food Industry we are interviewing the strong female line-up of chefs from across Britain competing to serve their dish at the final banquet of Great British Menu. To kick start the series, our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, interviewed Amber Francis, Head Chef at The Zebra Riding Club, in the grounds of Hertfordshire’s Birch Community.

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.

At Women In The Food Industry we are delighted to partner with The Craft Guild of Chefs. Established in 1965 as a Guild of the Cookery and Food Association, the Craft Guild of Chefs has developed into the leading Chefs’ Association in the UK and has many members worldwide. Look out for some exciting offers for our members and also news from the Guild’s annual National Chef of the Year Awards.  We spoke to three female members of the Guild about their experience, how the industry has been for female chefs / managers and what piece of wisdom would you give your younger self right now.

We have teamed up with The Craft Guild of Chefs to offer all of our members a free year’s membership of the leading chefs association in the UK. Login to discover the benefits and find out more.

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.

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.

International Award-winning Pastry Chef | Consultant | Author | Founder of The Claire Clark Academy