April Lily Partridge, AYALA Squaremeal Female Chef Series 2024
Chefs Engagés
With a longstanding commitment to the restaurant industry, Champagne AYALA has been a proud partner of Squaremeal since 2018, through the « AYALA SquareMeal Female Chef of the Year Series ». An award highlighting the work and accomplishment of female Chefs on the english cooking scenery, accompanied by series of interviews. Meet April Lily Partridge, the 3rd chef interviewed in this 2024 edition of « AYALA SquareMeal Female Chef of the Year Series »
April Lily Partridge
April Lily Partridge, the 2023 Roux Scholarship winner, may have been a notoriously picky eater as a child, but she has since become a culinary powerhouse. Growing up in a food-loving household, with a chef stepdad and a catering manager mother, she was exposed to great cooking early on. Despite her initial aversion to vegetables, Partridge’s passion for food blossomed during a work experience placement at The Reform Club, where she fell in love with the energy of the kitchen.
Mentored by chefs like Gary Lee at The Ivy, Partridge honed her skills over years of intense training, including stages at top restaurants such as The Clove Club and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York. In 2018, she joined The Ledbury, where she has flourished under the mentorship of Brett Graham, becoming a sous chef at one of the UK’s most prestigious restaurants. Despite her many accolades, including coming third in the National Chef of the Year Awards twice and winning an Acorn Award, Partridge has battled imposter syndrome, making her 2023 Roux Scholarship win all the more meaningful. Looking ahead, Partridge dreams of a future in television, aspiring to be the female Jamie Oliver.
April Lily Partridge’s perfect match for AYALA Le Blanc de Blancs A/18
Daikon-wrapped monkfish with a ginger and Champagne sauce
« This is a take on the dish I did for the final of the Roux Scholarship. The Champagne, which is lovely and crisp, pairs really well with the monkfish because it’s not too overpowering. Then the mousse has lovely citrusy notes and there’s a really subtle hint of ginger. »
April Lily Partridge, Sous Chef at The Ledbury
