Pioneering Australian chef Skye Gyngell has passed away at the age of 62.
Gyngell was best known as a trailblazer of the slow food movement and farm-to-fork dining, first at Petersham Nurseries, and later at Spring at Somerset House, and restaurants Hearth and Marle at Heckfield Place. She became the first female Australian chef to win a Michelin star, when she won the award at Petersham Nurseries in 2011.
The news was announced by her family and friends, with a statement that reads: ‘We are deeply saddened to share news of Skye Gyngell’s passing on 22 November in London, surrounded by her family and loved ones.
‘Skye was a culinary visionary who influenced generations of chefs and growers globally to think about food and its connection to the land.
‘She leaves behind a remarkable legacy and is an inspiration to us all. The family requests privacy at this time.’
Gyngell was born in Sydney in 1963, the daughter of renowned interior designer Ann Barr and Australian TV presenter Bruce Gyngell. Skye studied at Sydney University, but recognising that her heart lay in cooking, she moved to Paris at 19 to train in the French capital, then arrived in London under the tutelage of Fergus and Margot Henderson at The French House.
After some time working as a private chef, Gyngell’s name exploded onto the scene in 2004, when she became head chef of Petersham Nurseries Cafe in Richmond. In the space of seven years, she turned the neglected cafe and kitchen gardens into a thriving farm-to-table restaurant, winning a Michelin star in 2011.
The award proved to be a double-edged sword for Gyngell - she left the restaurant a year later, frustrated at the change in expectations brought on by the award. In 2014 she returned to London with Spring at Somerset House - a restaurant that set new standards for sustainability. Spring was the first restaurant in the country to commit to eradicating single-use plastics: Gyngell removed plastic straws, spent £1,300 buying lids for all of the storage pots so chefs no longer needed clingfilm; and changed Spring’s handsoap, when the well-known brand that was in the toilets refused to use re-usable bottles.
She also began using produce from Fern Verrow - an equally pioneering biodynamic farm in Herefordshire - and introduced a ‘Scratch Menu’ at Spring, adapting oft-wasted produce into a set menu, available for just £20. ‘I thought it would be really nice to deliver a menu to people who don’t have £80 per head to spend on dinner but do have £20,’ she said in an interview with SquareMeal. ‘It fills the room early in the evening with lots of young people, which is lovely.’
![Skye Gyngell Female Chef of the Year]()
Skye Gyngell wins SquareMeal AYALA Female Chef of the Year 2019, alongside (left to right) Pip Lacey, Angela Hartnett, and Nieves Barragan-Mohacho
In 2019, she was awarded the SquareMeal AYALA Female Chef of the Year Award, recognised for her commitment to sustainable, waste-free cooking and plastic-free kitchens.
‘This is the last third of my working life,’ she said to SquareMeal in 2019. ‘I’m no longer at the point where I’m chasing after awards. What is important to me now is this restaurant. It’s beautiful that Spring is still standing and that it’s doing ok. Now I just want to do stuff that interests me. The environment is really important to me.’
Last year, the chef revealed she had been diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma - a rare and aggressive skin cancer. The surgery involved the removal of her salivary glands, temporarily removing her sense of taste and smell. ‘I wasn’t upset because it would affect my work,’ she said to the Financial Times, ‘it was more the sadness that I might never be able to enjoy food again; it being summer and not getting to taste a ripe peach. “Who am I,” I thought, “without my palate?”
As well as her achievements in the kitchen, Gyngell was a celebrated author and cookbook writer. She published four cookbooks, including the award-winning A Year in My Kitchen (2006) and How I Cook (2010). She was also food editor of Vogue until 2023.
Tributes pour in for ‘culinary visionary’
Gyngell’s team at Spring led the way, heralding her as ‘a mentor, an anchor, and a force who helped so many of us find our place in what we do.
‘Her presence shaped our culture and the way we see the world around us in profound and lasting ways, and we remain deeply grateful for the time we were able to share with her.’
Jeremy Lee, chef of Quo Vadis, said: ‘Beyond saddened to hear that Skye Gyngell has passed after a brave long journey. Such a loss, such a heartbreak with such an extraordinary life and career, how this lovely lass lit up the world, here’s to you darling Skye.’
Nigella Lawson - who Gyngell worked for as a private chef - wrote on Instagram: ‘However ill you know someone to be, their death is always a shock. It's just awful that Skye is no longer in the world. It’s a tremendous loss, and I’m heartbroken for Holly and Evie and all those who loved her and learned from her.’
Jamie Oliver wrote: ‘Terrible sad news. She was an amazing woman and incredible cook and kindhearted. She will be very, very, very missed. Thank you for all you did to inspire young cooks.’
Read our full interview with Skye Gyngell, where she talks about the challenges of truly eradicating food waste and single-use plastics from kitchens, and the importance of giving your team space to flourish.