Origins of Ruth Hansom

From growing vegetables in her own back garden to being part of the team that won the Ritz its first Michelin star, Ruth’s love for season-led, modern British cooking has always taken centre stage

Mum

My mum had a great work ethic and it definitely shaped my desire to have a fulfilling job. She was an environmental health officer and was always working but when she did have time off, she would cook a great lasagne. The Bolognaise would simmer for hours. It was a real labour of love.

Gardening

As Mum was working a lot, I found myself in the kitchen from a young age. I was interested in ingredients so decided I’d grow my own. I’m not sure if I was allowed, but I dug up the garden and the first thing I planted was an apple tree. It was a stick back then, but it now gives us hundreds of fruits. From there, I started growing tomatoes, carrots, peas, potatoes...

Sunday roast

My stepdad and I would do a big roast every Sunday - even if it was boiling hot. It was one of the first meals I learnt to cook when I was around ten. To begin with, I was probably more of a hinderance in the kitchen but it became our most-loved tradition.

FutureChef

Run by the charity Springboard, FutureChef is a cooking competition for under 16s. When I entered, cooking was still just a hobby and I had wanted to be a doctor. But getting through to the national final was a turning point. I thought, 'Okay, let's do this. Why not try it as a career?’

London

Going to the final was the first time I had ever been to London – and I fell in love. The food scene was a little limited when I was growing up in the North East, so London was incredibly exciting. There was a Michelin-listed restaurant on every corner, as well as authentic restaurants of every cuisine imaginable. You didn’t get that in Darlington. I knew it was the place to be, so when I was 16, I found a flat on Gumtree and got on the National Express.

Frederick Forster

Frederick had been a judge on FutureChef a opened many doors for me. He had given me his business card and said to call him if I ever wanted a job. I did just that and then went to join him the next day at Boundary in Shoreditch.

John Williams MBE

The first time I stepped into The Ritz, I knew I wanted to complete my Royal Academy apprenticeship there. John is probably the most influential person of my career. When it comes to classical, French-style cooking, what John doesn't know isn't worth knowing. A lot of his brigade are apprentices who work their way up.

Tromsø

I went to celebrate skrei season with the Norwegian Seafood Council - being immersed in the fisherman's way of life was impactful. Something that stood out was watching schoolkids removing cod cheeks at record speeds. The seafood was simple, fresh and delicious.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb has strong ties to Yorkshire. It's a great wau of using a British ingredient to add those soar, tart notes you’d get from citrus. It can be used simply in a crumble but is also brilliant with chicken liver or mackerel.

Vietnam

Last year, I spent a month travelling through Vietnam – something I’d always wanted to do but never had time. The culture around sharing food is amazing, the ingredients are fresh and the street food is something else. I can't wait to go back and explore more of Asia.

History

I've always loved history and finding old recipes, ingredients or techniques. For example, in Yorkshire, we grow more oats than wheat, so on the menu we have soda bread made using oat flour. Bringing those stories around food back and being able to share them with guests is something that inspires me.