10 female-led restaurants shaping the future of food

Bao, founded by chef Erchen Chang, who remains Creative Director, her husband Shing Tat Chung and his sister Wai Ting Chung, started life as a pop-up at London’s Netil Market in 2013. Now the trio has seven restaurants in the capital. Their Michelin Bib Gourmand Soho flagship remains their best, for fluffy bao of course – everyone has a favourite, we vote daikon – but also light xiao chi (snacks), Taiwanese fried chicken and stellar value set menus.

At Michelin-starred Cail Bruich (meaning “to eat well” in Gaelic), in Glasgow’s West End, chef Lorna McNee cooks dishes using the finest seasonal British produce – meticulously plated but with an air of relaxed luxury, best enjoyed from the chef’s table with a view of the kitchen. Interiors are soft and welcoming, with exposed brick, adding to the laid-back feel. 

Chef Adejoké 'Joké' Bakare’s Fitzrovia spot, part of a new wave of modern West African restaurants in London, offers Michelin-level food but without a starched tablecloth in sight. It’s all about ‘fun dining’ here – high-level food without the stiffness and formality. Standout dishes include the fiery and flavourful pepper soup and guineafowl with seasonal vegetables. 

At three-Michelin-star Core in Notting Hill, chef Clare Smyth takes an elegant and precise approach to the cooking of British ingredients. The Core Classics menu features signatures such as a carrot cooked in lamb fat and a potato served with dulse beurre blanc and roe, showcasing luxury in the everyday. There’s also a more seasonal menu and an à la carte to mix it up a bit. 

This cosy restaurant on the shores of Loch Fyne, Scotland, is where chef Pam Brunton plies her trade, cooking the local landscape. Offering à la carte at lunch and a tasting menu at dinner, expect the freshest seafood, Scottish cheeses and foraged herbs. There’s also the option to stay overnight in a bothie or shepherd’s hut if you want to take in the fresh morning air.

Northcote is a luxury hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant in Lancashire’s picturesque Ribble Valley. Chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen, instantly recognisable from her many TV appearances, leads the award-winning restaurant, crafting exquisite dishes that celebrate the bounty of Lancashire’s fresh, seasonal produce, delivered with warmth and expertise – as they describe it, “real northern hospitality.” 

Chef Margot Henderson OBE and business partner Melanie Arnold have created a kind of secret garden of a restaurant in the grounds of a converted school, tucked away in London’s Shoreditch. Henderson cooks seasonal British food with flavour and body, from robust meat and fish dishes to lighter celebrations of vegetables, and delectable puddings with big dollops of nostalgia.

A seat at the counter at Sabor, chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s pan-Spanish restaurant in London’s West End, is one of the country’s most coveted and enjoyable dining experiences. Head up the spiral staircase to the first floor and you’ll find another space, dedicated to Galician and Castilian dishes cooked in a traditional wood-fired ‘asador’ oven (this is the place to enjoy whole suckling pig and octopus). Wherever you’re sat, you’re guaranteed a brilliant meal. 

Located in the pretty Cotswolds village of Charlbury, The Bull dates back to the 16th century. In its current iteration, it’s a fine gastropub from the Pubic House Group, where chef Sally Abé, formerly of The Pem and The Harwood Arms, focuses on hearty fare cooked over live fire, using produce from the restaurant’s own market garden. Overindulgence is encouraged and best walked off with a stroll around the picturesque village.

Chef Roberta Hall-McCarron’s first Edinburgh restaurant (she now has more) is a warm, welcoming space with a slight Nordic feel and an open kitchen. Diners can choose between a three or five-course menu focused on Scottish products – think juicy scallops, rich game and hardy roots. Adrfern, next door, Hall-McCarron’s café, bar and bottle shop, is the perfect stop for a pre- or post-meal drink.