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World's best female chef inspired by childhood on Co Antrim farm

On top of the world ....Clare Smyth
On top of the world ....Clare Smyth On top of the world ....Clare Smyth

A TOP London restaurateur, many of whose dishes are inspired by her childhood on a Co Antrim farm, has been voted the best female chef in the world.

Clare Smyth, originally from Bushmills, said it was an "absolute honour" to win the elit Vodka World's Best Female Chef Award.

She is the first chef from Britain or Northern Ireland to receive the accolade.

Clare was the first and only female chef in the UK to hold three Michelin stars, for Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

She worked with the chef for more than 13 years before opening her own restaurant, 'Core by Clare Smyth', in the trendy Notting Hill area of London in 2017.

Her latest award will be presented at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony in Bilbao in June.

The 39-year-old left, who left the north at the age of 16 to study catering, has worked in some of the most famous kitchens in the world.

In an interview with the Guardian in 2016 Clare spoke about her upbringing and her relationship with food and told how she had set her sights on becoming a chef from the age of 15.

“Food was important but in a more rustic sense,” she said. “We would drink milk fresh from the tank. We ate a lot of potatoes. Cooking was a chore and chances to eat out were limited."

At 16, she took a weekend job at a local restaurant. She started out washing dishes but was soon filling in for absent chefs and discovered that she thrived under pressure.

Clare, who was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to the hospitality industry, said after her win,: "This accolade is not for me but for all the women working in the hospitality industry around the world. I hope to use this platform to encourage and mentor more women to achieve success.”