Lisa Goodwin-Allen

A junior chef role at Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham led Lancaster-born Lisa Goodwin- Allen to Northcote at the age of 20, and she was catapulted to head chef at just 23. The restaurant, where she is now executive chef, has held on to the Michelin star it was first awarded in 1996, thanks to locally sourced, elegant dishes that incorporate her Lancashire roots.

• After Hours

José Pizarro

Extremadura's dehesa and its famed black pigs, the ancient Roman city of Cáceres, the markest of Andalusia and his mamà’s kitchen are among the Spanish chef's most beloved places in this 'land of 17 countries'

• Cover Interview

James Martin

He worked in some of Europe's finest kitchens, he's spent decades as the face of Saturday morning cooking and his day job includes following in the footsteps of kings and conquerors, but it all started in Yorkshire...

• Cover Interview

Jack Stein

With a childhood spent travelling back and forth to Australia, Jack developed a global palate early on. Originally persuaded by his parents not to follow a career in the kitchen, Jack picked up two degrees before returning to his cooking roots. After gaining experience working under Bruno Doucet in Paris and Tetsuya Wakuda in Sydney, Jack now heads up the Stein empire in Cornwall as chef director.

• After Hours

Yannick Alléno

A childhood spent between Parisian bistros and his grandma's country home taught Yannick Alléno key lessons he would take into the workd of gastronomy, with a 'French' lesson in Winchester along the way

• Cover Interview

Jeremy Lee

The food pages of the broadsheets and his mum’s cookbook collection were the early muses for Jeremy Lee. Hoping to follow his dad into illustration, he was instead diverted into the world of restaurants and would work with two of the greats in Alastair Little and Simon Hopkinson, before Terence Conran helped him take the first step in becoming one of London’s best and most loved chefs

Karan Gokani

His love of Sri Lankan food and the realisation that central London didn't have a contemporary offering of this incredible cuisine caused lawyer Karan Gokani to turn his back on the legal profession and open Hoppers

• Cover Interview

Ben Murphy

At 16, and with a trial lined up at Queens Park Rangers, Ben Murphy’s future seemed set… Then a broken collarbone forced him to change direction. Taken under the wing of Pierre Koffmann during his time at The Berkeley, Ben found himself in the Michelin-starred kitchens of southern France, Paris and New York before returning to London, where he now presides over the acclaimed Launceston Place

• After Hours

Mandy Yin

Having left a career in in corporate law to start street-food stall Sambal Shiok, Mandy's business rapidly evolved inot a laksa restaurant that has had Lononders queuing – and critics purring – since day one.

• Cover Interview

Carlo Scotto

The courts forced him into the kitchen aged 13, but Carlo found a passion for cooking that would see him traverse the world in search of different cultures to inspire his plates. Having experienced work at the heart of the Gordon Ramsay empire and at Galvin La Chapelle, he drew on travels to Japan and beyond to run his own fine-dining Xier. Last year saw him launch the global culinary tour in a restaurant that is Amethyst.