At Laugarás Lagoon on Iceland’s Golden Circle, Gísli Matt opens Ylja – a hyper-local, geothermal-powered restaurant rooted in warmth, community and the wild character of Laugarás. From greenhouse-grown tomatoes to arctic char that shifts with the seasons, Gísli unveils a new chapter for Icelandic dining where nature, flavour and place become one.

Two decades after starting out as a commis, Paul Green has returned to The Three Chimneys, now as Head Chef. Drawing on years under mentors like Martin Wishart and Michael Smith, he’s crafting dishes that honour Skye’s legendary shellfish, sustainable sourcing and simplicity over showmanship. This is a story of coming home, and of a restaurant deeply rooted in place.

At Hiraeth in Cardiff, chefs Lewis Dwyer and Andy Aston are building something heartfelt – part Japanese precision, part Welsh soul. From late-night menu ideas to home-grown produce and a vibe that’s pure Cardiff, the duo talk roots, rituals and redefining what modern Welsh dining looks like today in this exclusive interview with The Knife.

At Gravetye Manor, Roux Scholar Martin Carabott transforms seasonal British produce into fine dining poetry. From garden beets with Oscietra caviar to deer cooked over juniper, his cooking celebrates balance, precision, and flavour born of time and place. The Knife sits down with the Gravetye chef redefining what it means to cook in season.

Michelin starred Lumiere is Cheltenham’s worst-kept secret in the best possible way: a tiny dining room with huge intent, powered by a 3.5-acre garden, beehives and a four-day week. Co-owners Helen & Jon Howe talk to The Knife about ankle-break recovery, why honey madeleines tell a bigger story, mentoring tomorrow’s chefs – and how a Tequila Slammer became fine dining’s most joyful palate cleanser.

Joe Stark is redefining the drinks programme at Wild Shropshire with low-intervention wines, foraged ingredients, and zero-waste house ferments. From English fruit wines to award-winning alcohol-free pairings, he tells The Knife why the best drinks don’t mimic – they tell their own story.

At Dinings SW3, Executive Chef Masaki Sugisaki is rethinking the way we eat fish. In this exclusive interview with The Knife, he shares the story behind his Gill to Tail series, explains why he spends time on boats with fishermen, and how serving just 12 diners a time can help create a wider movement in sustainable seafood.

At Edinbane Lodge on Skye, Calum Montgomery does more than cook – he forges stories from scallops, mutton, and sea air. In this exclusive interview for The Knife, the Chef of the Year shares how local legends, late-night lobster allocations and a “hot minger” shaped his culinary path. This is modern Scottish fine dining, rooted in heritage and fuelled by Skye’s wildest ingredients.

What happens when a Michelin starred chef ditches ego, shortens the working week, and serves nothing but seasonal tasting menus in a 400-year-old pub? You get Ancient Shepherds – Mark Poynton’s radical new restaurant outside Cambridge. In this exclusive from The Knife, the newly crowned Norfolk Chef of the Year talks sustainability, mentorship, and the bold future of British hospitality.

Michelin Green Star chef Mark McHugo isn’t just cooking with the seasons, he’s rewriting the rules of sustainable dining. From dock seed bread and fig leaf sorbet to gin-infused with wild meadowsweet, Chapters in Hay-on-Wye is as inventive as it is rooted in the land. In this exclusive conversation, he shares his kitchen philosophy, foraging favourites, and what’s next for one of Britain’s greenest restaurants.

From smoked cod doughnuts to vodka-infused whey, Dean Parker’s menu at Celentano’s in Glasgow is a masterclass in zero-waste, big-flavour cooking. As the restaurant celebrates its fourth birthday, we speak to the chef-patron about fermentation, foraging, Italian roots, and why breakfast might just be his favourite dish of all.

No menu, no imports, no ego – just a chef, a regenerative farm, and a deep obsession with how a county truly tastes. At Wild Shropshire, James Sherwin is pioneering “ultra-terroir” dining with local eggs, garlic from down the lane, and vinegars that rival citrus. The Knife sat down with the Michelin Green star chef to talk ferments, flavour memory, and why pineapple weed might just be the new mango.

From Michelin stars to forest feasts, Luke Holder is cooking with purpose. In this bold and thoughtful interview, the HH&Co chef reveals why fire is the future, why provenance matters more than perfection, and why the best chefs today need to lead with both instinct and integrity.

Paule Béké is the London-based chef redefining African cuisine through her bold Afrofusion dinners and Paris-based restaurant. From ancestral grains to MasterChef pressure tests, she shares how her Ivorian roots, French training and global mindset are reshaping the way we eat and connect.

Michelin starred and mountain-framed, The Cottage in the Wood is making serious culinary waves in Cumbria. We spoke to chef-owner Jack Bond about foraging for flavour, cooking without mains water, and why the Lake District changed his entire food philosophy.⁠

At Michelin Green Star restaurant Le Jardin Secret in Provence, chef Benoit Witz skips the menu and lets the garden decide. In this exclusive Q&A for The Knife, Witz shares how cooking from instinct, memory and place is his quiet rebellion against trend-led fine dining—and why the most nourishing meals aren’t designed to impress, but to connect.

At The Great Bustard in Wiltshire, hyper-local sourcing meets wood-fired finesse. Led by Brighton-born chef Jordan Taylor, with his Michelin pedigree, the pub-restaurant blends bold, seasonal flavours with a deep respect for land and produce. From foraged ferments to estate-reared venison burgers, every dish has a story – and every ingredient earns its place.

Chef Mark McCabe went from studying music to earning a Michelin Green Star and representing Scotland on Great British Menu. In this interview, he opens up about sustainability, storytelling through food, and finding harmony between global flavours and local produce at Henrock.

At The Farm at San Benito, Chef Rosemarie Pagcaliwagan blends ancient traditions and raw innovation to prove that plant-based food can be healing, exciting, and luxurious.

Michelin honed chef Ben Watson fuses French technique with Indian flair at The Golden Ball, redefining the modern British gastropub.