Sally Chef Great British Menu: Sally Abé is the name of the character. Sally, who hails from Mansfield in Nottingham, is the chef de cuisine of The Harwood Arms, London’s sole Michelin-starred pub. Sally worked at The Savoy, Claridges, and The Ledbury after graduating from Sheffield University’s Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts program.
Sally became the chef de cuisine at The Harwood Arms in Fulham, London, in 2017 and has since built a dedicated staff and maintained the one-star excellence of the establishment. Sally’s cooking style is British, seasonal, and elegant, with an emphasis on game. When it comes to her own food choices, she focuses on local ingredients and some of our most cherished authors. There were no childhood fantasies of being a chef or adorable stories about helping her grandmother in the kitchen for Sally Abé, who was raised in Mansfield, Ohio. While working a humdrum office job in Sheffield at the age of eighteen, she began to enjoy cooking for herself at home. For her final year of study, she chose Sheffield Hallam University’s Hospitality Business Management and Culinary Arts degree program, which she thoroughly liked. The moment I stepped into the kitchen, I knew I had arrived at my destination.
Sally moved to Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s in 2007 when the Savoy was closed for renovations, and there she learned the basics of cooking – a good start. She decided to stay in London rather than return to Sheffield when the time came. ‘Claridge’s was a tough place to work because it was always busy and we had to cook for a large number of people.’ Then again, I really enjoyed it. I’d always been a slacker in school because of my lack of interest, but I flourished in the fast-paced environment of a kitchen. Everyone should know that I could handle whatever they threw at me.’
After Learning Fundamentals of Classical Cooking
After learning the fundamentals of classical cooking from Marcus Wareing, Sally went on to work with Brett Graham at The Ledbury, where she had the largest impact on the direction of her career. ‘I stayed there for five years, which is a long time, graduating from chef de partie to sous chef. I had a blast working there since Brett is a tough boss, but he’s fair and eager to teach you everything you need to know about running a restaurant. A lot more than simply food was taken care of by the time I departed, which put me in a great position for the future.
Having accomplished what she set out to do, Sally decided to take a break from her hectic chef life in London by leaving The Ledbury. She took a job as a recipe editor and developer at Great British Chefs, where she used a computer instead of a knife and fork. For a while, I wanted to see if I could use the creative aspect of my brain in a different way.’ Brett was very supportive of my decision, and I believe he realized it was time for me to attempt something new. Things like food styling and recipe editing were new experiences for me, but after 18 months, I realized I wanted to get back in the kitchen and start cooking again. ‘I missed it so much.’
As the country prepares to go into lockdown, we can all look forward to the return of the Great British Menu in March 2020. This season’s crop of British cooks is the largest yet, and they are all vying for a spot at the annual gala. It’s all about children’s literature in honor of Charles Dickens’ 150th birthday, so there will be references to everything from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Harry Potter to The Chronicles of Narnia. Sally Abé is a notable chef from the Central area.
Great British Menu’s Chef Sally
Sally dazzled on Great British Menu in both the first and second episodes, despite some stiff competition. Sally got perfect scores for her starter and fish course in the premiere episode. Throughout the second program, her mains and desserts received the highest ratings. Sally’s Willy Wonka-inspired chocolate bar dessert also won over Great British Menu viewers absolutely. You won’t believe what happened!
Is Sally in a relationship?
Yes!
Matt Abé, a well-known chef, is Sally’s husband. Matt is the Chef de Cuisine at Gordon Ramsay’s Restaurant, which has earned three Michelin stars. Matt has appeared on shows such as MasterChef: The Professionals, so you may recognize him.
Does Sally have a profile on that social media platform?
Yes. @littlechefsally is Sally’s Instagram handle. Sally’s Instagram page is dominated by beautiful photos of her culinary creations, as you might expect from a chef with a Michelin star. Then there’s the fact that she posts about her relationship with Matt and their trips. As of this writing, Sally has more than 5,800 followers on Instagram. You should join in!
Sally decided she wanted to work with Phil Howard when she saw that he was selling his two-star restaurant The Square to open Elystan Street. His philosophy on food is ‘amazing,’ says the narrator. He prefers strong, bold flavors and doesn’t give a damn about following recipes to the letter; all that matters to him is that food tastes good. My involvement in creating the restaurant allowed me to produce traditional dishes like tureens and apple jellies with the help of my mother and grandmother. Only when the opportunity to work at The Harwood Arms came up did I leave the party.’
Sally was already familiar with the Harwood Arms, London’s only Michelin-starred gastropub because Brett Graham is a co-owner. Because she and her husband Matt lived so nearby, they frequented the restaurant frequently, and she recalls how much she enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. The idea of running a fine-dining restaurant with tablecloths and servers in gloves is not who I am at all, and I’ve never wanted to do it. Even yet, I don’t want to serve food that is too informal. As a result, I found The Harwood to be exactly what I needed.’
Sally says the kitchen was operated in a familiar fashion
Sally says the kitchen was operated in a familiar fashion because the Harwood is owned by Brett Graham and the previous head chefs before Sally had worked at The Ledbury. That part was simple, but when you join a company at a senior level, earning the team’s trust might be more difficult. My intentions were set bare, and we moved forward as a result of my candor and openness.’
Sally spent around 18 months developing The Harwood Arms into a business she could truly call her own. It isn’t until you become the head chef that you are able to put your own dishes on the menu, she explains. You never get trained for it; you just go from doing someone else’s food all the time to suddenly having your own. ‘It’s bizarre.’ After working in the food industry for a long time, you begin to understand how to really serve the dishes you’ve been dreaming about. (dermaflage.com)
Over the course of a number of years, Sally worked to elevate the already praised Harwood Arms pub’s standing in the community. When she leaves the restaurant in 2021, she will be in charge of four distinct businesses, all at The Conrad London St James. “The Pem,” named after suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, has a female-led staff that aims to establish a work environment that’s a million miles apart from the shouty, intense kitchens of the past.” Sally is also in charge of the Blue Boar Pub, an afternoon tea room, and a cocktail bar.
