Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa, the five-star country house hotel on the Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire border, has appointed Ruth Hansom as head chef of its Wernher restaurant.
Hansom, who recently appeared on BBC 2’s Million Pound Menu, will lead the team in the hotel’s fine-dining 2 AA Rosette Wernher Restaurant. Working under the direction of Luton Hoo Hotel’s executive head chef Christopher Mouyiassi, Hansom will utilise her culinary experience to grow the hotel’s well-established restaurant, serving the finest British cuisine in the most opulent surroundings.
After passing her apprenticeship with flying colours, Hansom won a series of accolades; she won gold at the World Skills UK in 2012, reached second place in Craft Guild of Chefs’ National Chef of the Year 2013, also receiving the Apprentice Chef award. Ruth was the winner of Master Chefs of Great Britain’s Young Chef of the Year in 2013 and 2014 and received a Graduate Award from Craft Guild.
Other award highlights include winning the Craft Guild Rising Star award in 2014 and second place in Chain de Rotessures Young Chef UK final.
In 2016, Hansom went on to win bronze at the European championships of WorldSkills and won first place in the Craft Guild of Chefs’ Young Chef of the Year in 2016/17. In the same year, she was awarded the Antony Bourdin Scholarship from the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts.
Hansoms career reached new heights and national acclaim in 2018, when she received a £1m investment in BBC 2’s Million Pound Menu TV show, alongside business partner Emily Lambert. She is not just passionate about cooking but also about supporting her peers in the restaurant industry and helping young chefs find their way in the kitchen.
Hansom said, “I am so pleased that I have the opportunity to join such a historic British restaurant as head chef and cannot wait to showcase the skills I have honed throughout the years, at the Wernher Restaurant.”
Matthew Long, General Manager of Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa, said, “We are delighted that Ruth has joined our talented team here at Luton Hoo. Ruth not only has years of experience but also a fantastic, enthusiastic spirit and I am excited to see the strides she will take in growing our fine-dining restaurant.”
