This major new industry award was launched in August to celebrate the huge contribution female chefs are making to the UK restaurant industry. The new AYALA SquareMeal Female Chef of the Year award shines a spotlight on the women whose achievements are an inspiration to everyone involved in this vibrant sector, from school-leavers beginning their career as a chef to diners choosing where to eat.
Commenting on Hartnett’s win, SquareMeal editor Ben McCormack (picture above with Hartnett) said: “Angela Hartnett has proved that you can be a female chef in the male-dominated world of restaurant kitchens without having to become one of the boys. For sound business sense, sheer consistency and for being an icon and inspiration across her 24-year career, I’m very proud that Angela Hartnett is our AYALA SquareMeal Female Chef of the Year.”
The award lunch at Daphne's
2018 marks the 10th anniversary of Hartnett’s Mayfair restaurant Murano, which she launched with Gordon Ramsay. She bought Ramsay out of Murano in 2010, launched two Café Muranos, in St James’s and Covent Garden, as well as Hartnett, Holder & Co at the Lime Wood hotel in Hampshire and Merchants Tavern in Shoreditch. With five restaurants across her portfolio offering both Michelin-starred and more casual dining, Hartnett has firmly established herself as the UK’s foremost female chef and restaurateur.
Hartnett was the clear frontrunner in an online poll on SquareMeal.co.uk which saw users cast almost 1,500 votes for their favourite female chefs. Hartnett has been the UK’s most famous female chef since she rose to fame as Ramsay’s voice of reason on Hell’s Kitchen and topping SquareMeal’s poll proves that, 14 years later, she remains the country’s most popular female chef.
The guests were served AYALA Champagne
What’s more, Hartnett has gone from being the only woman in Gordon Ramsay’s Aubergine brigade to nurturing some of the country’s foremost female chef talent, including Murano head chef Sam Williams and Pip Lacey of the soon-to-open Hicce – to say nothing of supporting chefs such as Sticky Walnut’s Gary Usher, who was a sous chef when Hartnett ran Ramsay's York & Albany.
Commenting on her win, Hartnett said: “It’s so good that there are so many female chefs now. The restaurant trade is changing for the better. If this encourages young girls coming into our industry, then it's a great thing to do.”
Hartnett was presented with her award at a lunch at Daphne’s in Chelsea for the shortlisted chefs, which coincided with the launch of Champagne AYALA’s chef de cave Caroline Latrive’s first vintage blanc de blancs, the AYALA Le Blanc de Blancs 2012. The full shortlist can be seen below:
AYALA SquareMeal Female Chef of the Year Shortlist:
Names are in alphabetical order
Nieves Barragan Mohacho, Sabor
Ravinder Bhogal, Jikoni
Erchen Chang, Bao and Xu
Sam Clark, Moro and Morito
Helene Darroze, Helene Darroze at The Connaught
Shauna Froydenlund, Marcus
Monica Galetti, Mere
Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Northcote
Skye Gyngell, Spring
Anna Hansen, The Modern Pantry
Angela Hartnett, Café Murano, Hartnett, Holder & Co, Merchants Tavern and Murano
Margot Henderson, Rochelle Canteen
Rachel Humphrey, Le Gavroche
From left: Ravinder Bhogal, Helena Puolakka, Angela Hartnett, Marianne Lumb, Asma Khan, Rachel Humphrey, Sabrina Gidda
Asma Khan, Darjeeling Express
Selin Kiazim, Oklava
Judy Joo, Jinjuu
Thomasina Miers, Wahaca
Chantelle Nicholson, Tredwells
Sarit Packer, Honey & Co and Honey and Smoke
Anne-Sophie Pic, La Dame de Pic
Helena Puolakka, Skylon
Clare Smyth, Core by Clare Smyth
Ruth Rogers, The River Café