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We had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with Olivia Burt, Sous Chef at Claridge’s, who is competing in MasterChef The Professionals on BBC2.  Olivia was also the only female chef to make the finals of the Roux Scholarship.  Our co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, recently spoke to Olivia about her experience on MasterChef The Professionals and what it’s like cooking on a national TV show.

Our co-founder Mecca Ibrahim, interviews Olivia Burt Sous Chef of Claridge’s who has reached the regional finals of the Roux Scholarship. She is the first woman to do this since Sabrina Gidda made it to the finals 4 years ago.

For the first time ever, on Saturday 29th June, Le Cordon Bleu London will throw open its doors for a very exciting Summer Food & Drink Festival. The world famous cookery school will host a fabulous array of Chef demos including Asma Khan; Olivia Burt and Anna Hansen, to name just a few.

Having worked at Le Gavroche in 1990 under Albert Roux, Louise Monaghan returned last year to be part of the closing team. She has reflected on her time there and has written a piece for us at Women In The Food Industry about the contrast between her experiences in her 20’s and 50’s and the vital role that ‘seasoned individuals’, like herself, still have to play in the hospitality industry. Louise is now starting a new venture to encourage over 50’s to work in the hospitality industry. 

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.

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.

Here are the women chefs you’ll be seeing more of on BBC One from 8th November 2021 until Christmas as MasterChef The Professionals returns to our screens for its 14th series.

Applications for MasterChef: The Professionals are now open! MasterChef: The Professionals is returning for its 14th series and is once…

BBC Two’s MasterChef: The Professionals is returning for its 13th series and once again looking for chefs with the talent and ambition to make it to the top of their industry.

In September 2019 renowned culinary institute, Le Cordon Bleu London announced the winner of their coveted Julia Child Scholarship. Bianca Tia Mesuria from Hackney in London went home with the title after beating off immense competition for the prize. Our co-founder Mecca Ibrahim caught up with her to find out more about the competition, meeting baking legend Mary Berry and appearing on BBC Saturday Kitchen Live.

The SquareMeal Female Chef of the Year award was launched in 2018 to celebrate the huge contribution female chefs are making to the UK restaurant industry.  On 21st October 2019 Skye Gyngell chef-patron of Spring and culinary director of Heckfield Place became the second winner of the title. Skye was presented with her award at a Champagne reception at The Goring in Belgravia for the shortlisted chefs.

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.