Ruth Hansom Wins National Chef of the Year: The Chef Making British Food History
Ruth Hansom has made history by winning the National Chef of the Year 2026, becoming the first woman to achieve this prestigious title in British hospitality. Her impressive three-course menu showcased her culinary skills and dedication to British ingredients.
Ruth Hansom has been crowned the UK’s National Chef of the Year 2026, becoming the first woman to win one of British hospitality’s most prestigious culinary competitions. The chef-owner of Hansom Restaurant in Bedale, North Yorkshire, took the title following a demanding final at Le Cordon Bleu London on 6 October.
Organised by the Craft Guild of Chefs, the competition has celebrated outstanding professional cooking talent for more than 50 years. Ten finalists competed in a high-pressure kitchen, judged on flavour, creativity, technical ability, presentation and their ability to perform under pressure. For Hansom, the victory represents the culmination of years of hard work, competition experience and a determination to develop her own style of cooking.
A Winning Menu Built Around British Ingredients
Hansom impressed the judges with a three-course menu demonstrating technical precision and a thoughtful approach to ingredients.
Her starter combined Isle of Mull scallop with girolle mushrooms, kohlrabi and cobnut. The main course showcased Angus Pure beef fillet, accompanied by braised beef cheek cottage pie, beef fat, kuri squash fondant, glazed veal sweetbread and tail-end tartare.
For dessert, she served Guanaja dark chocolate, olive oil and foraged bramble mille-feuille, bringing together rich chocolate, fruit and carefully executed pastry work.
Mark Birchall, chef patron of Moor Hall and chair of judges, praised Hansom's confidence, skill and consistent execution across the menu. She stood out in a strong field, with Scott John-Hodgson of Solstice and House of Tides taking second place and Tom Heywood of Pignut & The Hare finishing third.
From a Family Kitchen to The Ritz
Hansom's interest in food began in childhood in Darlington. She enjoyed helping in the family kitchen and growing fruit and vegetables in her parents' garden, experiences that helped shape her appreciation of seasonal ingredients and provenance.
As a teenager, she entered the FutureChef competition, which gave her an early opportunity to test herself against other aspiring cooks. Rather than follow a conventional academic route, she decided to pursue professional cooking and moved to London to study at Westminster Kingsway College.
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Her training continued through the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts apprenticeship at The Ritz London, where she spent five years developing the discipline and technical foundations required in a demanding professional kitchen.
She subsequently gained experience in respected London establishments, including staging at Core by Clare Smyth, before taking on a head chef position at Pomonas in Notting Hill. These experiences helped her develop the precision of fine dining while continuing to explore how ingredients, flavour and presentation work together.
Hansom also made history as the first woman to win Young National Chef of the Year. Further achievements included representing the UK at the WorldSkills competition and appearing on BBC Two's Great British Menu.
Bringing Her Own Cooking to North Yorkshire
After building her career in London, Hansom returned to North Yorkshire. In February 2024, she opened Hansom Restaurant in Bedale, launching her own modern British fine-dining venture.
The restaurant provides an opportunity to express the principles that have run through her career: seasonal cooking, carefully sourced ingredients and attention to detail. Her approach is rooted in the produce around her, while drawing on the techniques developed during years in professional kitchens.
Her new title brings further recognition to that independent venture and places her among the competition's distinguished past winners.
A Landmark Achievement for British Chefs
Winning National Chef of the Year is a personal milestone, but Hansom's success also sends an encouraging message to aspiring chefs. Her journey shows how early enthusiasm, rigorous training and a willingness to keep competing can build into a successful career.
She has also supported the next generation of hospitality professionals through mentoring and initiatives aimed at encouraging more women into professional kitchens.
With the National Chef of the Year title now hers, Hansom enters the next chapter of her career with national recognition for her cooking. For diners, it is a reason to discover Hansom Restaurant; for the hospitality industry, it is a reminder of the talent emerging from Britain's regional kitchens.
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