Notts-raised chef Sally Abé has come a long way from childhood trips to the corner shop for 10p pick and mix.
After leaving Nottinghamshire at 18, she trained in Sheffield before heading to London, where her career has taken her through some of the capital’s leading kitchens, including The Ledbury, The Harwood Arms and Elystan Street. She later led The Pem at Conrad London St James.
In March 2026, Sally took perhaps her biggest step yet, opening her first solo restaurant, Teal by Sally Abé, at 52 Wilton Way in Hackney.
The small British bistro puts Sally’s own stamp on traditional British food, revisiting historic and nostalgic dishes while using seasonal, high-quality British produce. It has quickly become one of London’s most talked-about new restaurants, attracting a string of strong reviews. Earlier in August, Telegraph restaurant critic William Sitwell awarded Teal five stars.
Sally is also heading to the Cotswolds this August Bank Holiday to cook at Big Feastival, which runs from August 28–30 on Alex James’ farm near Kingham. She’ll appear on the festival’s Big Kitchen stage alongside a line-up that includes Simon Rogan, Anna Haugh, Meera Sodha and Emily English.
Ahead of her appearance, Great Food Club spoke to Sally about her Nottinghamshire roots, her route into professional kitchens, Teal and why women remain underrepresented at the top of the hospitality industry.
Where did you grow up in Nottinghamshire, and what are your strongest food memories from that time?
I grew up outside Nottingham in Mansfield. I didn’t have a particularly foodie upbringing, but a strong food memory for me is regularly taking trips to the corner shop for 10p pick and mix!
When did you first consider becoming a chef, and how did you make the move from Nottinghamshire into leading London kitchens?
I moved out of home at 18 years old and had to fend for myself, so I got really into cooking that way.
I did a hospitality course in Sheffield where I learnt the basics and had the option to do a placement in London. I’ve stayed ever since!
You have worked at The Ledbury, The Harwood Arms and Elystan Street, before leading The Pem and opening Teal. What stages of that journey shaped you the most?
Each shaped me in their own way, but I would say it was at The Harwood Arms where I found my own food style.
Women make up a large part of the hospitality workforce, yet relatively few become head chefs or business owners. Why does that imbalance persist?
Historically, kitchens have been toxic places to work, but I’m on a mission to change that.
I want to give more women the confidence they need to start their own businesses in the hospitality industry.
Which barriers have affected your own career, and what practical changes would help more women progress into senior roles or ownership?
Lack of confidence has definitely been a barrier through my own career and I know it affects a lot of women in the hospitality sector, as well as not having enough female role models to look up to.
Hopefully, the work Kayla Lawrie and I are doing through our new female-owned hospitality map, which serves as a go-to guide for diners looking to discover new spots, will empower women in the industry, amplifying their visibility at a local and national level and spotlighting more female chefs to inspire the younger generation.
What inspired you and Kayla to create the female-owned hospitality map, and what do you hope it will achieve?
What inspired the map was the lack of visibility female chefs and founders have within the hospitality industry.
We wanted to showcase female-founded businesses to give them the recognition they deserve, as well as to encourage women in the industry to network.
What dish have you created for your Big Feastival set on the Big Kitchen stage, and what made you choose it?
Chilled pea and mint soup with chickpea chips.
I’ve chosen this dish as I think it is a simple but delicious and refreshing thing to eat on a summer’s day, and I want everyone who watches to be able to go home and recreate it!
From Mansfield to Hackney
Twenty years after heading south from the East Midlands, Sally now has a London restaurant entirely in her own name.
Teal by Sally Abé, which opened on March 26, takes the chef back towards the British food she wants to cook: seasonal produce, familiar flavours and dishes with roots in the country’s food history. From Victorian-inspired savouries to the penny lick ice cream, it is a personal restaurant and one that has already attracted considerable critical attention.
Sally’s work outside the kitchen is growing too. The female-owned hospitality map she created with Topjaw producer Kayla Lawrie launched in July and has already grown to include more than 1,000 restaurants, pubs, cafés, bakeries and other businesses owned or co-owned by women across the UK.
For anyone wanting to see Sally cook closer to her Nottinghamshire roots, she will appear at Big Feastival, held at Alex James’ farm near Kingham in the Cotswolds from August 28–30, 2026.
Her Big Kitchen demonstration will feature the chilled pea and mint soup with chickpea chips served at Teal – a dish she hopes festival-goers will be able to recreate when they get home.
