Sally Abé Has Been Shortlisted for the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards!
We’re absolutely delighted that Sally Abé is part of the shortlist for the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2025 with her debut memoir, A WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE KITCHEN! Sally joins Ben Gazur and Eleanor Bartlett in the ‘Debut Food Book’ category.
The shortlist was selected by an expert panel of independent judges, across 13 categories, with the elements considered including "fresh and original content, authenticity, visual flair, engaging style and unique perspectives".
The winners will be announced on 1st May at Fortnum & Mason, The Royal Exchange, by chef and broadcaster Andi Oliver and judging panel chair Angela Hartnett OBE.
Publishing in June of last year, A WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE KITCHEN is a raw account of Sally’s experience as a fine dining chef and a look into kitchen life:
This is the story of Sally Abé's rise to become an award-winning chef in the brutal world of restaurant kitchens; how a girl from the midlands who used to cook herself Smash to get by is now one of the most successful fine-dining chefs working today.
It's a familiar trope: angry men berating each other in kitchens as pots furiously boil, sauces burn and a giant slab of beef rests in the background. The dominant view of a professional kitchen is one of chaos and pent-up fury - a gladiatorial contest of male ego. Why then do we also hear the misogynistic refrain that women 'belong in the kitchen' if, in a professional context, they're all but erased from them?
A Woman's Place is in the Kitchenis a stirring manifesto - drawing back the curtain on restaurant kitchens to show how she is endeavouring to change them for the better. Filled with stories of Michelin-starred food, the relentlessness of kitchens, as well as the hope for the future of the culinary landscape, Sally's memoir is set to become a classic.