The UK’s leading women in hospitality

Having previously been named the UK’s best gastropub, The Parkers Arms continues to excel year on year. Led by dynamic duo, chef-patron Stosie Madi and business partner Kathy Smith, this amazing pub is a wonderful place to come and recharge the batteries, in one of the country’s most overlooked corners. Madi thrives off using local produce – foraged and sourced – from the pub’s surroundings and the best suppliers, drawing on her Lebanese heritage and experiences of growing up in Africa to produce unbelievable results.

Charlie Salisbury and her husband Justin have breathed new life into the hotel industry with their ever expanding chain of boutiques known as Artist Residence; the name was inspired by the Brighton art scene and an ad being placed locally for artists to decorate rooms in return for board. It was the beginning of something massively unexpected, and the results have seen amazing Artist Residence hotels pop up everywhere, from London and Brighton to Cornwall and Bristol.

A Peculiar Tea is a one-of-a-kind restaurant created by chef Gemma Austin, Great British Menu contestant and Best Chef Ulster nominee. Austin’s intention is to immerse her guests into a holistic dining experience, providing six courses of local, seasonal and playful food. The tasting menu is themed, changing every eight weeks to give the guest a different dining experience each time. The themes are chosen to spark a sense of nostalgia and release adult imagination. Working alongside Austin is head chef Bianca Babick, who helps run the team behind the kitchen doors. Brazilian-born and well travelled, Babick has a passion for new cuisines and vegetarian dishes.

The Daisy Green Collection in London was founded by Prue Freeman and Tom Onions in 2012.  They started the business on the streets as a founding member of street food collective KERB with two vintage ice cream vans (Pinky Green and Wander Green) and three tricycles. Over the decade, the business has grown organically and now there are numerous locations across London, including Little Venice, Southbank and Richmond to name a few. From breakfast and healthy lunches, to cocktails and colourful Aussie-inspired plates, Beany Green on Regent’s Canal (and its sister sites) bring flavour, Instagram-worthy aesthetics and a splash of fun to all-day dining.

In this three Michelin star restaurant, each dish is grounded in seasonal produce sourced from the farmers, makers and growers carefully chosen by Hélène herself. And every menu is a reflection of personal tastes, as the chefs transform selected ingredients into original works of culinary art. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught is nothing shy of an elegant expression of craft.

As the co-owner and chef of The Little Chartroom, Roberta Hall-McCarron has achieved great things in a short space of time. The restaurant opened in 2018, gaining a fast fan following, before opening a pop-up on Portobello’s prom and then relocating its primary premises to Bonnington Road. But rather than move out of the old space, she conceived a brand new dining experience in The Little Chartroom’s former space — Eleanore. This new site is named after a family boat and continues the brand’s maritime theme. But while The Little Chartroom has a blue exterior and a white interior, Eleanore’s colour scheme has been reversed. Both showcase local fish and seafood with dishes such as oysters and salami mignonette; crab with courgette tartare, chervil, macadamia and pecorino; hash browns, smoked cod’s roe, vadouvan and lime; and halibut with razor clams, winter vegetables and red wine sauce found on the menus. Intimate, fun, relaxed and friendly, a meal at The Little Chartroom or Eleanore is an unpretentious and delicious experience.

Ask someone in Scotland which brand is best known for creative tasting menus at affordable prices, and they probably mention Six by Nico. And there’s one lady who has been at the heart of the operation since its inception in Glasgow, back in 2017. Rachael Rafferty’s journey in hospitality began in waitressing on the other side of the globe, three years prior to the inception of Six by Nico. After returning to Scotland, she took up a post as Food and Beverage Supervisor at Cameron House, just outside of Greater Glasgow. She worked her way up into a management role at the esteemed Loch Lomond side hotel, before becoming General Manager for the entire portfolio of Six by Nico restaurants (a total of seven venues across the UK). If you’re not already familiar with the concept — Six by Nico offers tasting menus (based on ideas or places) that change every six weeks. Past themes have included Paris, Shanghai, Amalfi Coast, Once Upon a Time and Miracle On. Each course is a visual as well as a culinary feast and offers an immersive experience. The Glasgow site is based on Finnieston’s trendy strip.

Cocoa Cabana is a female-first eatery going from strength to strength in the inner-city suburb of Ancoats. Founded by Sarah Gallacher, the independent chocolate shop draws in crowds with its famous ‘Chocolate Afternoon Tea’ and moonlights as a chic cocktail bar serving a range of ‘choctails.’ After training as a chocolatier at the famous Slattery’s in nearby Whitefield, Sarah launched her own business, Cocoa Cabana on Burton Road in West Didsbury. Since 2012, her artisan chocolates have won countless awards and even received a nod of approval from the chocolate giants themselves – Cadbury. To cope with the blossoming demand for her sweet creations, Cocoa Cabana expanded to the city centre, setting up a chocolate lover’s pink paradise in Ancoats. Alongside her talent for treats, Sarah’s entrepreneurial spark has also been recognised by various industry awards, including winning Entrepreneur of the Year at the Inspiring Women Awards in 2014.

Relatively new to the Belfast restaurant scene, husband and wife team Jonny and Christina Taylor have changed the game when it comes to dining in Belfast. With two restaurants in the city, Shed Bistro on the Ormeau Road and Blank Restaurant on the Malone Road, the pair have already won numerous awards for their fantastic menus and warm Irish hospitality. Jonny is the Head Chef at Shed Bistro and while his food is truly remarkable, it is Christina’s flair for creating an unrivalled dining experience that really elevates a trip to Shed Bistro from something good to something great. Christina has experience working and managing some of the biggest companies in the UK, such as Living Ventures, Carluccio’s, and Jamie’s Italian. She brings together this experience from all across the industry to create magical moments in her two Belfast restaurants that continuously keeps customers coming back for more.