1. ENTERTAINING
HOME DINING NIGHT: FEMALE CHEFS
59ISSUE EIGHT
ISAWOMAN’S
PLACE
REALLY INTHE
KITCHEN?
We march towards International Women’s Day and
Mother’s Day this month, yet just 10 of Britain’s 167
Michelin-starred kitchens are headed by female chefs.
Written by Thomas Hobbs
Images courtesy of Thomas Hobbs

2. ENTERTAINING
HOME DINING NIGHT: FEMALE CHEFS
60 ISSUE EIGHT
W
hetherit’sRuthGray,ClareSmyth
orAngelaHartnett,Britishcooking
isn’tshortofstorieswhenitcomesto
inspirationalwomen.Sowhy,then,arethe
followingnumbersstillsodifficulttoread?
Globally,justonepercentofheadchefsinMichelin-starred
kitchensarefemale,whileoutofBritain’sonehundredand
sixtysevenstarredrestaurantsthere’sstillonlyapaltryten
notledbymen.
Thatisn’tallthat’stroubling.Inthetwenty-firstcentury
someofBritishcooking’smostinfluentialnamesstillseemto
havenoissuesspittingouttheoccasionalbileyou’dexpectto
hearinanineteenfiftiesboozer.
‘Alotofthatfireinachef’sbellyyouneed,becauseyou
needthemtoforcethemselvestobereadyfordinner
service,’saidchefandBBCFood&DrinkpresenterTom
KerridgelastOctober.‘That’sprobablywhytherearen’t
manytopfemalechefs.’
Thenotorioustestosteronelevelsinthemajorityof
Britain’stopkitchensiswell-documented,butisitreallythat
waybecausewomenquitesimplydon’thavethesame‘firein
theirbellies’astheirmalecounterparts?
’Tomcalledmeassoonasthatinterviewwentout,’reveals
AngelaHartnett,‘andsaid‘Jesus,whatthef***didIjustsay?’
SoI,alsoknowingwhatastrongwomanhiswifeis,definitely
thinkhewasmisquoted.’
AprotégéofGordonRamsey,Hartnett’sdriveandsolosuccesswiththe
Michelin-starredMuranohasearnedheraplaceinthenation’shearts,andanMBE,
butsurelyshedoesn’tthinkthisisalljustmediahype?
‘ThemediawantstomakeoutthatMichelin-starredkitchensarelikeTheWolf
ofWallStreetandyou’vegotMichelRouxJr.throwingfemalechefsatdartboards,’
sheadds.‘Therearemoreopportunitiesthaneverbeforeforwomenand,ifyou’re
talented,investorsorchefsaren’tgoingtodiscredityoufornotbeingaman–that’s
justnonsense.’
Butwhataboutthenumbers?Afterall,atpresent,underfifteenpercentofFTSE
100businessdirectorsarewomen.Isthereamorewidespreadissueatwork?
‘Maybeit’sbecauseIwasbroughtupinNewZealand,butIreallythoughtthe
worldwasouroyster,’arguesMargotHenderson,aworld-classchefandthewifeof
FergusHenderson. Shehashelpedinspireagenerationoffemaletalent,including
thelikesofAnnaHansen.‘Butnowwomenhavegonebackundergroundandarea
rarityatthetopofbigbusinesses.Sexisminsomewaysisworsethanit’severbeen.’
‘Theopportunitiesaretherebuttoooftenwomenaregettingsidelinedandput
onthepastrysection;Ferguscan’tfindenoughwomentojoinSt.John!Forthelast
decadeit’sjustbeen‘GordonRamseythis’or‘JamieOliverthat’.ClareSmythcan
holdthreeMichelinstarsalmostsingle-handedlyyetnobodyknowswhosheis!’
‘Sex,unfortunately,stillsells,’addsAnnaHansen,ownerofClerkenwell’salready-
iconicModernPantry.
‘Menareallowedtobemen,’sheobserves.‘Alotofyoungfemalechefsbeing
takenseriouslybythemainstreammediaalwayslookliketheyarefreshfrom
thehairsalon.Itjustisn’ttruetolife.Wealllooklikewe’vegonethroughahedge
backwardsafteradinnerserviceshift-Idon’tthinktheTwoFatLadieswould
existtoday!’
Rose Gray,

3. 61ISSUE EIGHT
Aswespeak,Hansenisattendingtohercurrentout-of-
workduties.Thechefistakingtimeouttoraiseherfirstbaby,
whoseinfantgigglespunctuateourconversation.
Andindeed,theissueisalldowntoMotherNature,
accordingtoRachelHumphrey,thefirsteverfemalehead
chefofRoux-ownedLeGavroche,whoworkedherselfup
therankssincejoiningasanapprenticein1996.
‘Usuallywhenyoustarttogettotheverytopofyour
game,youreachthatstagewhereyouwanttostartafamily
–that’stheonlyrealdifference,’sheinsistssternly.‘Women
aretheoneswhowillusuallymakethatsacrificesomenhave
iteasierandcandominatetheconversation.’
Hendersonagrees.Havingcookedwithherhusband
FergusforyearsattheFrenchHouseDiningRoominSoho,
hisdeparturetosetupSt.Johnlefthermorethanalittlein
thelurch.
‘Iwashugelyresentful,’sheadmits.‘Ihadtoputmycareer
onthebackburnerasbeingamotherisbloodyhard.’She
laughs,‘Itwaslike,‘I’mstuckherewiththesekidswhilehe’s
offgettingacareer!’’
VeteranofBritishfoodwriting,celebratedauthor,and
TheTimesrecipewriterLindseyBarehamwantstoseemore
establishedwomengivingtheiryoung
counterpartsopportunities.
‘Asfabulousastheyare,alotofthetopfemalechefsgot
theirfootinthedoorduetomalementors–thathasto
changeifthenumbersaretobecomemorebalanced,’sheargues.
‘Donkey’syearsagoIrememberreviewingSoniaStevenson,whorantheHornof
PlentyinDevon,whichopenedin1967,andshewasfirstwomentogetaMichelin
starinBritain.’
‘Look,we’vealreadyproducedamazingfemalechefsinBritain,fromRuthand
RoseatTheRiverCaféonwards,butwhenIbrokethrough,thewomenwereseen
ascooksandthewriters,whilethemenwerethechefs–you’dbefoolishtosay
thoseperceptionshaven’tchanged.’
Sodothewomenfeeladdedpressuretohelpthenextgenerationthrough?
‘IgetaskedtobethefocalpointforwomenonaweeklybasisandI’lldoit,but
ifsomeoneistalented,Idon’tcarewhatsextheyare,’saysHartnett.‘Ihavefour
restaurantsandtheheadchefsaretwomenandtwowomen.Myresponsibilityis
totheindustry,notjusttowomen.’
Hansensaysit’simportanttostrikeagoodbalanceinthekitchenandsaysshe
currentlyhasaroundafifty-fiftygendersplit.Although,withawrysmile,sheadds:
‘Ismilealotmoreifayoungwomenmakesitintooneofmykitchens.’
Barehaminterjects:‘Ithinkthenextgenerationcomingthroughwillbegetting
theiropportunitiesfrompowerfulwomen,notjustmen,andthatreallywarms
myheart.’
Sowhatdothementhink?Themajoritybecame,perhapsunderstandably,a
littlenervouswhenthistopicwasbroachedandranfortheexitdoor-butnotall.
‘BritainhasthebestfemalechefsinEurope,’saysJasonAtherton,thecelebritychef
responsibleforPollenStreetSocial.‘Thisstupidmachoimageandblokeykitchen
banterhastodieanditwill;youdon’tneedaf***inglongbeardandhipstertattoos
tobeanelitechef.ClaireClarkisoneofthebestpaidchefsintheworld–Ihopethe
nextgenerationwilllookather,grabthetorch,andrunwithit.’

4. For the salad, trim the chicory into individual
leaves and pick the watercress. Wash and dry
well, and set aside in a bowl.
Cut each pear into 8 pieces. Heat the butter
in a pan and gently roast the pear pieces for
5-8 minutes until cooked but still holding their
shape. Drain and set aside.
Toast the walnuts lightly in a dry pan, and add
to the pears.
For the vinaigrette, mix the vinegar with the
oils and season to taste.
Dress the pears and walnuts with the
vinaigrette, and do the same with the chicory
and watercress, reserving a little vinaigrette
for plating.
To serve, place 4 pieces of pear on each
plate, with the salad leaves and walnuts.
Crumble over the blue cheese and drizzle with
remaining vinaigrette.
For the salad:
• 4 heads of white chicory
• 2 heads of red chicory
• 1 bunch of watercress
• 2 pears, peeled and cored
• 50g butter
• 80g walnuts
• 150g blue cheese (Roquefort or Fourme
d’Ambert)
For the vinaigrette:
• 50ml red wine vinegar
• 100ml olive oil
• 50ml walnut oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
SERVES: 4
PEAR, WALNUT AND
BLUE CHEESE SALAD
INGREDIENTS METHOD
RECIPERECIPE
ENTERTAINING
HOME DINING NIGHT: FEMALE CHEFS
62 ISSUE EIGHT
Irrespective of your own gender, knock up this
three-course meal from Le Gavroche’s Rachel
Humphrey this Mother’s Day, in culinary
celebration of the strong females in your life.
62 ISSUE EIGHT

5. Forthepannacotta,bringthecreamtotheboil
inasaucepanwiththesugar,thesplitvanillapod
andthefreshginger.Removethemixturefrom
theheatwhenitcomestotheboilandaddthe
soaked,squeezedgelatineandtherum.
Passthemixturethroughafinesieveandpour
into4shallowdishes.Placeintherefrigerator
toset.
Fortherhubarb,cooktherhubarbbatonsgently
inasaucepanwiththesugarandChampagne.
Strain,reservingboththepoachedrhubarband
itscookingliquidseparately,andreducethe
cookingliquidbyhalftoasyrupyconsistency.
Allowthesyruptocool,thenmixitwiththe
dicedrawrhubarbandthecrystallisedginger
andreserveuntilrequired.
Oncethecreamhassetandyou’rereadytoeat,
topeachpannacottawithsomeofthereserved
poachedrhubarbandsomeofthecrunchy
rhubarbandgingermixture.Serve.
Preheattheovento180C.
Layertheslicedpotatoesandonionsinthe
baseofaroastingdish,andseasonwithsaltand
pepper.
Seasonthelambshoulderalloverandrubwith
thechoppedthyme.
Pourthewhitewineandchickenstockoverthe
potatoes,andplacethelambontop.
Roastfor20minutes,thenreducetheheatto
160Candcookforafurther3½hours.After
thistime,thelambshouldbetenderandthe
potatoeswillhaveabsorbedtheliquid.
Coverwithfoilandleavetorestfor20minutes
beforeservingwiththebutteredgreens.
For the panna cotta:
• 500ml single cream
• 80g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, split
• 1 small piece fresh ginger,
peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 leaves gelatine, soaked in
cold water then squeezed
• 30ml rum
For the rhubarb:
• 6 sticks of rhubarb, 5 cut into
batons and 1 finely diced
• 50g sugar
• 120ml Champagne
• 30g crystallised ginger, finely
diced
• 6 potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 2 onions, sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 shoulder of lamb
(approximately 1.5kg)
• ½ bunch of thyme, chopped
• 100ml white wine
• 500ml chicken stock
• buttered greens, to serve
SERVES: 4SERVES: 4
GINGER AND VANILLA
PANNA COTTA WITH
POACHED RHUBARB
SHOULDER OF LAMB
WITH SLICED POTATOES
AND THYME
INGREDIENTSINGREDIENTS METHODMETHOD
RecipescourtesyofRachelHumphrey,headchefatLeGavrochele-gavroche.co.uk
RECIPERECIPE
63ISSUE EIGHT

6. ‘There are more
opportunities than
ever before for
women. If you’re
talented, investors
or chefs aren’t going
to discredit you –
that’s just nonsense’
- Angela Hartnett
ENTERTAINING
HOME DINING NIGHT: FEMALE CHEFS
64 ISSUE EIGHT