Three Michelin stars is a lifetime ambition realised, says Clare Smyth

Over the moon: Clare Smyth says moving from two MIchelin stars to three required some very difficult work

Margaret Canning Twitter Email

January 26 2021 07:30 PM

The first British woman to be awarded three Michelin stars for her own restaurant has told how the first person to congratulate her after the feat was confirmed was Gordon Ramsay, her mentor.

Northern Irish superchef Clare Smyth, who runs Core by Clare Smyth in London's Notting Hill, is the youngest of three children who grew up on the family farm in Bushmills.

Core achieved the highest honour in the Michelin Guide within three years of opening.

Reflecting the restaraunt's leading status, its dine at home package for two, including wine pairings and delicacies from the British Isles such as Isle of Mull Scallop and black Perigord truffle, costs £500.

Ms Smyth's cooking at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, where she worked as head chef from 2007, helped it retain three stars.

She also catered at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018.

The 42-year-old told Times Radio's Mariella Frostrup that the Michelin stars honour was "a lifetime ambition".

"I started cooking from 16 years old and, from the beginning, it was a dream you dared to dream, but maybe you don't ever believe it's going to come true, so it was an amazing boost to achieve three Michelin stars. It was a lifetime's work," she added.

She said restaurants were going through a difficult time after bearing the brunt of lockdowns since the outbreak of the pandemic in March, adding: "We just have to sit and wait until we get opening again."

Ms Smyth said focus was one of the factors behind her success. "It takes an unusual personality type to win three stars. You have to have an obsessive personality for detail," she explained.

Moving from two Michelin stars to three required some very difficult work.

"We take quite humble ingredients and elevate them to something quite spectacular," she said.

Ms Smyth, who left Northern Ireland at 16 to go to college in Portsmouth, said that behind his combustible TV persona, Ramsay was a remarkably kind man.

"I worked with Gordon for 16 years and he was the first person to call me on Monday night when we got awarded the three Michelin stars," she added.

"I loved working with him and it was my first really top kitchen - the energy was incredible. Of course he has the reputation on television of being aggressive, but he's actually incredibly kind and a great mentor."

Clare's home delivery menu - £175pp with wine extra

NV Charles Heidsieck Champagne "Cheese and Onion gougere" Foie gras tart, madeira jelly Smoked duck wing, honey and thyme Core sourdough and cultured butter __ Baked Isle of Mull Scallop, Black Perigord truffle and cauliflower Cornish sea bass, cockles, clams, coastal herbs and lovage Duck and red grapes, thyme, honey, Timut pepper, 'The other carrot' Lemonade mousse yoghurt and honey __ Vanilla madeleines Treacle tart