The culinary world is mourning the loss of Skye Gyngell, the groundbreaking Australian-born chef who profoundly influenced British food culture and died at age 62. Her unique perspective, which combined a chef's precise palate with an artist's visual sensibility, shaped the tastes and thinking of a generation of cooks and restaurateurs.
A Singular Vision: Where Art Met Food
Gyngell was a truly singular figure in the culinary world. She possessed the palate of a chef and the palette of an artist, twin gifts that converged in food described as painterly in composition and delicate in its details. Her cooking was always tuned to nature's shifting rhythms, a philosophy embodied by her London restaurant, Spring, which was named after her favourite season.
Her commitment to food directly connected to its source placed her at the heart of a movement she never sought to lead, yet in her own quiet and uncompromising way, she undeniably did. This made her one of the most significant chefs of her generation, earning respect from diverse peers like René Redzepi and Nigella Lawson.
A Trailblazing Career in London's Restaurants
Gyngell's professional journey was marked by a series of reinventions that consistently strengthened her unique voice. Her first head chef position was at Petersham Nurseries, which opened in 2004. There, she cooked from a simple garden shed, producing food that was bracing in its beauty.
Her dishes appeared deceptively simple until one realised their stealthy sophistication. This approach upended conventional thinking about fine dining, leading to her being awarded a Michelin star in 2011. Her subsequent decision to leave the restaurant and effectively reject the star now seems prescient, foreshadowing a broader industry shift towards more authentic dining experiences.
In 2014, she opened Spring at Somerset House, and in 2019, it became the first restaurant in the UK to go plastic-free. There, she pioneered a joyful, prix-fixe Scratch menu, cooked from ingredients that would otherwise go to waste. This initiative was not earnest or worthy, but generous and quietly radical, offering an affordable way to dine beautifully within one of London's grandest buildings.
A Lasting Legacy Beyond the Kitchen
Skye Gyngell's influence extends far beyond the restaurants she directly managed. Her perspective on food, which emphasised seasonality, integrity, and a direct connection to source, has been absorbed into the culinary mainstream.
The author recalls discovering, hours after hearing of Gyngell's passing, a salad named in her honour at a New York restaurant run by three young women who had never worked with her. They were simply cooking in the language she helped write.
While she couldn't help but be Australian in her instinct and sense of colour, what Skye Gyngell created belongs to the world. She forged a vocabulary of beauty, purity, and integrity in her food that continues to inspire. Her legacy endures in every dish that feels perfectly of its moment: seasonal, honest, surprising, and painterly.
