UK’s Fergus Henderson receives the Lifetime Achievement Award 2014

UK chef Fergus Henderson has been awarded The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award, as part of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2014 sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. He is the founding partner of one of the UK’s most influential restaurants, St. John in London, which opened in 1994. 

Over more than two decades, Henderson has raised the profile of British food through the promotion of nose-to-tail cooking – the use of every part of the animal – which is now practised in many kitchens in the UK and across the Western culinary landscape. The nose-to-tail approach has become an intrinsic part of today’s gastronomy due to Henderson’s unashamed celebration of offal and indigenous food. He has pushed the boundaries of restaurant cooking and is revered across the world by chefs and diners alike for his intelligence and affable manner.

As one of the patriarchs of the UK restaurant industry, Henderson was recognised in 2005 when he received an MBE for services to gastronomy. Under him, great cheffing talent has been nurtured, with a number of his young protégés currently blooming in solo ventures.

Acknowledging the award, Henderson commented: “I am truly honoured to have been selected to receive this year’s Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is an event that is very special to me – it’s very bonny indeed!”

Having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the late Nineties, Henderson has proved that major obstacles can be overcome. In 2012, he released his third book on nose-to-tail dining, The Complete Nose to Tail: A Kind of British Cooking.

William Drew, Group Editor of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said: “We are thrilled to be able to present this prestigious award to one of the most celebrated chefs in Britain. Fergus Henderson has always carved his own path in the culinary world by creating a new approach to cooking and with it he has gained the respect and admiration of chefs and food lovers around the world. This award is a symbol of recognition from the restaurant world of his talent and positive influence on our industry.”

Eduardo Tobon, President of Diners Club® International, said: “For members of the Diners Club International community, fine dining is an exploration of different cultures and flavours. As such, we are pleased to honour Chef Fergus Henderson, who has dedicated his career to indigenous gastronomy, using ingredients and techniques that pay homage to classic British dining. We congratulate Chef Henderson and his many contributions.”