Chef Ruth Hansom leaves Pomona's with restaurant team

Ruth Hansom has left Pomona's in Notting Hill, less than a year after joining the London restaurant.

Hansom, the first female Young National Chef of the Year, which she won in 2016, told The Caterer that she was leaving Pomona's to start a new venture. She added that the entire team would move with her to a smaller venue "with the ability to refine and focus".

The chef joined Pomona's in April 2019 with the aim of producing high-end sharing menus. She moved from Luton Hoo hotel in Bedfordshire in June 2018, where she was head chef of the property's fine-dining Wernher restaurant. She had formerly been a demi chef de partie at the Michelin-starred Ritz London.

In 2018 Hansom came to public attention after winning support from restaurateur Atul Kochhar for her British restaurant concept Epoch during an appearance on BBC Two's Million Pound Menu. Hansom had appeared alongside business partner and sommelier Emily Lambert.

Lambert went on to promote English wine, while Hansom pursued her operational goals.