Clare Smyth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · British cuisine · b. 1978
The first British woman to hold three Michelin stars — at her own restaurant, Core.
Biography
Clare Smyth is a Northern Irish chef and the first British woman to run a restaurant awarded three Michelin stars. Born on a farm in County Antrim, she left school at sixteen to work in restaurant kitchens and trained under some of the most demanding chefs in Europe — Gordon Ramsay, Alain Ducasse at the Louis XV in Monaco, and Thomas Keller at the French Laundry in California — before becoming chef-patron of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Royal Hospital Road, the first woman ever to hold that role at a three-star establishment in the United Kingdom.
In 2017 she opened her own restaurant, Core by Clare Smyth, in Notting Hill, London. Core was awarded its first Michelin star within five months, a second in 2019 and a third in 2021 — making it the first London restaurant led by a British woman to achieve the highest possible Michelin rating. The World's 50 Best Restaurants named her Best Female Chef in the World in 2018.
Her cooking is rooted in British and Irish produce, presented with the precision of classical French technique. Smyth has become an outspoken advocate for the conditions and reputation of British produce, frequently sourcing from small farms and fisheries across Northern Ireland and the South West.
Cooking Philosophy
British and Irish ingredients, French precision, and quiet intensity. Smyth describes herself as a 'product cook' — the produce decides the menu, not the other way around — and is known for refusing to over-decorate a plate. She is equally famous for her management style: she ran Gordon Ramsay's flagship without the shouting culture that defined his TV persona, and built Core with the explicit goal of a humane kitchen.
Restaurants
- Core by Clare SmythLondon (Notting Hill)
Three Michelin stars; opened 2017.
- Oncore by Clare SmythSydney
One Michelin-equivalent acclaim; opened 2021 at Crown Sydney.
Awards & Recognition
- 3 Michelin stars (Core by Clare Smyth)
- Best Female Chef in the World — World's 50 Best Restaurants (2018)
- MBE for services to the hospitality industry (2013)
- First female chef-patron of a three-Michelin-star UK restaurant
Iconic Dishes
Recipes in Clare's Style
These recipes from our database reflect the british cooking tradition that Clare works in. They are not direct reproductions of Clare's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.
In Clare's Own Words
“A great kitchen is not built on fear. It is built on standards and on people who believe in them.”
“The best ingredient I cook with is the one that has not travelled too far to reach me.”
Career Timeline
Leaves school at 16; works in local restaurant kitchens in Northern Ireland.
Joins Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road, London.
Stages with Alain Ducasse at the Louis XV in Monaco and Thomas Keller at The French Laundry, California.
Becomes chef-patron of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay — first female chef-patron of a UK three-star.
Opens Core by Clare Smyth in Notting Hill.
Core awarded its third Michelin star.
Cooks at the wedding reception of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (post-event published).
Mentors & Influences
Frequently Asked Questions about Clare Smyth
Who is Clare Smyth?
Clare Smyth is a Northern Irish chef and the first British woman to run a restaurant — Core in London — that holds three Michelin stars. She previously ran Gordon Ramsay's three-star Royal Hospital Road flagship as its first female chef-patron.
Where did Clare Smyth train?
She trained under Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road, then completed stages with Alain Ducasse at the Louis XV in Monaco and Thomas Keller at The French Laundry in California — three of the most demanding kitchens of the era.
What is Core's most famous dish?
Her 'Potato and Roe' — a Roosters potato cooked slowly in dulse and seaweed and served with herring and trout roe — has become the signature dish at Core. It is, deliberately, a luxury reinvention of an Irish farmhouse staple.
How many Michelin stars does Core have?
Core by Clare Smyth holds three Michelin stars, awarded in stages between 2018 and 2021. It is the only restaurant in London led by a British woman to hold three stars.
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