Do we like Clare Smyth?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A clean record and real good works, marked down only because her views on LGBTQ+ issues are simply not on the record.
Clare Smyth grew up on a farm in County Antrim, took a holiday job in a local restaurant, studied catering and was in England by 16. She joined Gordon Ramsay's flagship in 2002 and was running it by 28, then opened Core in Notting Hill in 2017. In 2021 it won three Michelin stars, making her the first Irish or British woman to do it.
Her years in Ramsay's kitchen were tough. She says she was petrified at first, and that she cringes at her own aggressive behaviour as head chef. She was told women didn't belong there, which she calls “throwaway comments”. At Core she says half her staff are women and “There's no need for shouting.” No court cases or accusations against her turned up in my searches.
The recent news is a good one. Corenucopia, her more relaxed Chelsea bistro, was added to the Michelin Guide in January 2026. A Michelin Guide piece in February says it had just earned a star, with Core keeping three.
The good stuff is real. During lockdown her team cooked around 600 meals a week for six local charities, including the Red Cross. She is patron of Contact, a charity for families with disabled children. In November 2025 she cooked a Waterside Inn dinner with Alain Roux that raised about £23,000 for Contact and a schools programme.
So: a chef who admits her early kitchen habits weren't great, then built a calmer one and kept her nose clean. The one asterisk is the silence on LGBTQ+ topics, not anything she's done. We'd happily book a table.