Debrette | Jason Atherton | Influential chefs

The 2015 Debrett’s 500 most influential people in the UK list has been released, with 20 people in the food and drink category. Nine chefs made the list, and these were: Jason Atherton Owner of Pollen Street Social, Social Eating House and Little Social, Jason Atherton was the first British chef to complete a stage at El Bulli in Spain in 1998. Until 2010 he was the executive chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze, before opening Pollen Street Social in 2011, followed by Social Eating House in 2013 and most recently Little Social in Mayfair. Heston Blumenthal Heston is the owner of the Fat Duck, which he opened in 1995 and this was his first paid job as a chef. In 2005 the restaurant won the Best Restaurant in the World Award. Heston also has a number of cookbooks and TV shows including Heston’s Great British Food. He has also opened a café in Heathrow’s Terminal two. Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis Scott and Yianni met in 2010 and have since created the pop-up diner MEATeasy, which then led to MEATliquor restaurant and a string of other MEAT eateries, with plans to expand to a Bristol restaurant in 2015. Angela Hartnett The chef patron of Murano Restaurant and York and Albany Pub, Angela learnt to cook from her grandmother while living with her from nine years old. In 2002 she became the first ever female chef at The Connaught Hotel. Tom Kerridge Tom is the chef patron at The Hand and Flowers gastropub. After working at various restaurants including Adlards and Rhodes in the Square he opened the Hand and Flowers with his wife Beth. In 2012 they received their second Michelin star, becoming the first pub ever to receive two Michelin stars. Nuno Mendes Head chef at the former fire station turned restaurant, Chiltern Firehouse, since 2014, Nuno was previously the chef patron at Michelin starred Viajante, which closed in 2014. Jamie Oliver Best known for his TV shows such as Jamie’s Kitchen and Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals, Jamie has also helped revolutionise school meals with his campaigning. He has been the face of Sainsbury’s for 11 years and has a successful chain of restaurants including Jamie’s Italian and Fifteen. Yotam Ottolenghi Yotam is a chef, restaurant owner and cookbook writer. His books Plenty and Jerusalem both won awards including Best Cookbook. He also owns the Ottolenghi Deli and Soho restaurant NOPI. Simon Rogan Simon owns the two Michelin starred L’Enclume and Roganic. In 2014 he also took control of Claridges Restaurant, Fera.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.