SquareMeal and Champagne AYALA are proud to announce Amber Francis as the winner of this year’s Female Chef of the Year Awards 2025.

This major industry award was first launched in 2018 to celebrate the huge contribution female chefs are making to the UK restaurant industry. The Female Chef of the Year Awards aims to shine a spotlight on those women whose achievements are proving an inspiration to everyone involved in this vibrant sector, making a positive name for themselves within the industry, while acting as role models for young women considering a future career in this arena.

This year’s highlighted chefs also included Kyu Jeong Jeon of Dongnae and Bokman in Bristol, Sarah Hayward of The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, Ruth Hansom of Hansom in North Yorkshire, and Abby Lee, chef-founder of Mambow in Clapton.
Amber Francis has carved a unique culinary trajectory that’s led her from Michelin-starred kitchens including The Ritz, The Hand and Flowers, and Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, to her current role as Head Chef and Senior Food Educator at Christ’s College Finchley. Her career reflects both her technical skill as a fine dining chef and her unwavering commitment to making a real difference within both the food world and her local community, qualities that render Francis one of the most exciting, inspirational and respected chefs of today.
Speaking on her win, Amber says:
“It’s an honour to receive the Female Chef of the Year Award 2025. To be recognised among the incredible women leading the way in the food industry – while pursuing my passion for supporting communities and becoming a mother in the same year – makes this especially meaningful.
“Historically, mothers in the food industry have lacked support and often been forced to step away, so to continue doing what I love while representing women at the top of their game is something I’m deeply proud of.”
Amber becomes the latest in an impressive lineage of past winners, which includes Adejoké Bakare in 2024, Roberta Hall-McCarron in 2023, Lisa Goodwin-Allen in 2022, Sally Abé in 2021, Skye Gyngell in 2019, and Angela Hartnett in 2018.

Both Abé and Hall-McCarron were part of the six-person judging panel that selected Francis for the award, alongside judges from SquareMeal and Champagne AYALA, and following a public nomination process earlier this year.

Commenting on this year’s awards, SquareMeal Managing Editor Ellie Donnell explains:

‘Our Female Chef of the Year 2025 shortlist is bursting at the seams with inspirational chefs, reflecting the incredible pool of talent we have here in the UK right now. Choosing a winner is never easy, but Amber Francis’ impact on the industry is impossible to ignore. Her move from working in Michelin starred-kitchens to becoming Head Chef and Senior Food Educator at Christ’s College Finchley not only underlines her passion for food and community, but also sets a new precedent for restaurant chefs moving into education.

Combined with becoming the first school chef to win the title of Great British Menu’s Champion of Champions this year, Amber occupies a truly unique position in the food world. She is a phenomenal chef, an advocate for positive change, and a mentor to the younger generation, and it is a pleasure to be able to highlight her incredible career to date through SquareMeal and AYALA’s awards.’

Laurence Alamanos from Champagne AYALA adds:

‘At Champagne AYALA, we are proud to support this Award, which shines a spotlight on the extraordinary talent and impact of female chefs – not only in their kitchens but also in the wider community. It’s a true honour to present the 2025 Award to Amber Francis, who embodies this spirit. Swapping Michelin stars for school dinners, Amber has become a leading voice in the national conversation around school food reform, sustainability, and food education. We raise a glass to her, the highlighted chefs, and the remarkable female talent shaping the UK restaurant industry.’