Step Aside Gordon Ramsay, These Are The Female Fireballs Of The Kitchen

Keen to make their presence felt in a male-dominated world, meet the career women who rule the restaurant kitchens.

A woman's own kitchen is a far cry from the male-dominated zones of a restaurant kitchen where it's rare that you find women keeping these testosterone-filled hothouses in check. Two females who can certainly stand the heat of the kitchen are culinary queens Angela Hartnett and Lisa Allen - all too aware of the imbalance but determined to make their mark on this high pressure profession.

As part of our 25th birthday celebrations this month, we've dedicated several beautiful pages of the October issue to the most iconic women from the last quarter-decade and the bright sparks that are hot on their heels.

Angela Hartnett, a former protegee of Gordon Ramsay, insists, 'Having a woman in the kitchen makes the men a bit more respectful. It's nicer.'

Not satisfied with being made to feel inferior though, these women are keen to wipe out those gender misconceptions and prove that whatever the boys can do, they can do better.

'You've got to stand up for yourself,' explains Lisa Allen, executive chef of Michelin-star Northcote Manor. 'It's only once you've proved you can do the same as them that you can get their respect.'

Step aside Gordon Ramsay these are the women calling the shots in the kitchen.