British top chefs shine on home soil: Lady Chef of the Year for Chantelle Nicholson - The Walled Gardens receives Discovery Award - Plates remains the UK's number 1 of Best Vegetable Restaurants
Spanish Restaurant El Invernadero remains number 1 of the world at We're Smart Awards in London
- Chef Chantelle Nicholson (Apricity, London) becomes Lady Pure Plant Chef of the Year 2025
- Restaurant The Walled Gardens (Manchester) by Eddie Shepherd Wins Discovery Award and climbs from 83rd to 30th place in the We're Smart Top 100
- Restaurant Plates (London) by Chef Kirk Haworth remains UK number 1
- Frog (London) by Chef Adam Handling enters the Top 100 at 60th Place in the world ranking
- The United Kingdom confirms its role as a hub for sustainable gastronomy by hosting the Awards
- Restaurant El Invernadero (Madrid) is Best Vegetable Restaurant in the world for the second year running
London, 11 November – Chef Chantelle Nicholson (Apricity, London) has been crowned Lady Pure Plant Chef of the Year 2025. The restaurant The Walled Gardens (Manchester) wins the Discovery Award and records a significant climb to 30th place in the worldwide ranking of Best Vegetable Restaurants. Frog (London) also confirms Its position as a newcomer in the Top 100 at 60th place. This was announced during the We're Smart Awards 2025 in London. The Annual Awards celebrate Top Chefs who place vegetables and fruit centre stage in their kitchens. The title of Best Vegetable Restaurant in the World goes to Spanish El Invernadero in Madrid for the second year running. During the ceremony, on the podium of the London QEII Centre, the We're Smart Green Guide 2025 was also launched. Chef Kirk Haworth (Plates) remains the UK's number 1 and led the debate about the future of Pure Plant gastronomy as We're Smart UK Ambassador.
Lady Chef of the Year 2025: British Pioneer Chantelle Nicholson
The British representation in pure plant gastronomy proves that the United Kingdom plays an important role in pure plant gastronomy, with London as the epicentre of the awards. The title of We're Smart Lady Chef of The Year has this year been awarded to the respected chef Chantelle Nicholson of the restaurant Apricity (London). Nicholson, originally from New Zealand, is recognised for her dedication to planet-conscious gastronomy and her earnest advocacy for regenerative and ecologically responsible hospitality. This award aims to promote female role models in the vegetable kitchen and thus contribute to reducing the gender imbalance in gastronomy.
Frank Fol, The Vegetable Chef® and founder of We're Smart World: “London is more than a spoiled city when it comes to good restaurant experiences. At Apricity, you can go full plant-based, and you won't regret it. This overall concept where sustainability is a starting point is more than successful. Chantelle Nicholson knows what she is doing, you can just taste that. Dishes are brought pure and the focus is on flavour. And already got a full salad full of creativity on your plate?”
British excellence and gamechangers
The jury also spotted new British talent: The Walled Gardens (Manchester) by chef Eddie Shepherd was crowned with the Discovery Award. A Discovery Award is presented to inspiring newcomers and gamechangers who distinguish themselves with dishes that perfectly align with the We're Smart-credo 'Think vegetables, think fruit!'. The Walled Gardens is also the big climber in the We're Smart Top 100. The restaurant shoots from 83rd place to an impressive 30th place in the world ranking.
Chef Kirk Haworth (Plates) led the debate in London on the future of pure plant gastronomy as We're Smart UK Ambassador. His restaurant remains the British number 1 and occupies the sixteenth place in the world ranking.
The restaurant Frog (London) by Chef Adam Handling also gets the coveted 5 Radish status as a newcomer at 60th place. This status, from the We’re Smart Green Guide, is the highest recognition in the guide, which assesses restaurants with one to five Radishes. That guide assesses restaurants with one to five Radishes, depending on their creativity with vegetables and fruit and the percentage of vegetable ingredients that are used. The United Kingdom has a total of 10 restaurants with 5 Radishes.
El Invernadero: world top for the second year running
The number 1 in the world comes from Spain. Chef Rodrigo de la Calle from El Invernadero, in Madrid, has been crowned Best Vegetable Restaurant in the World by We're Smart for the second year running.
Frank Fol: "Chef Rodrigo de la Calle is a culinary phenomenon. We are convinced that his 100% Pure Plant creations deserve worldwide attention. His dishes and combinations are not only pure and technically perfect in terms of flavour, but also the carefully adapted pairing ensures an exceptionally high standard moment. This pairing is unique: for each dish, he makes his own drinks with, for example, kefir or kombucha. Mostly completely alcohol-free, but sometimes also with a little wine incorporated. The cuisine of El Invernadero shows a continuous development and global leadership in gastronomy, hence the confirmation of its number 1 position for the second year running."
The three ambassadors of the Pure Plant philosophy – Xavier Pellicer (Spain), René Mathieu (Luxembourg) and Emile van der Staak (Netherlands) – retain their lifelong title of Untouchable. This is the highest recognition a chef can achieve within We're Smart World and is awarded to those whose restaurant has been at number 1 for two consecutive years. With the confirmation of his second year, Rodrigo de la Calle of El Invernadero will join this company next year.
We're Smart Green Guide 2025: great dynamism and Green Radishes
The We're Smart Green Guide 2025 is the leading culinary guide that assesses restaurants based on their creative and sustainable use of vegetables and fruit. The guide reviews a total of 1,500 restaurants in 52 countries worldwide. Restaurants are assessed with one to five Radishes. One Radish indicates a strong start, while five Radishes represent the absolute world top.
Restaurants that only offer 100% Pure Plant dishes are marked in the renewed guide with Green Radishes. In total, 48 restaurants, including the British Plates, receive this label, which was introduced to allow the increasing number of people who eat completely plant-based, to make a quicker choice.
The dynamism in the guide is great: this year, 191 new restaurants have been included, while 47 existing restaurants have risen in the rankings. The recognition of 5 Radishes has been awarded to 138 restaurants worldwide.
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Interested in an interview with one of the winners or with We’re Smart founder Frank Fol? Please contact:
saartje dietvorst
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About We're Smart®
We're Smart® is the undisputed worldwide culinary reference when it comes to fruit and vegetables. The brainchild of Frank Fol, The Vegetables Chef®, the organisation recognises and promotes individuals, restaurants and other businesses that put fruit and vegetables center stage in the world of food. Published annually, the culinary We’re Smart® Green Guide showcases the world’s leading ‘fruit and vegetable’ restaurants (restaurants committed to an innovative approach and exceptional taste combinations with vegetables) and ranks them from 1 to 5 “Radishes”. The annual We’re Smart® Awards recognise the year’s best restaurants and organisations. The We’re Smart® Academy offers the world’s best ‘fruit and vegetable’ chefs a forum for sharing their knowledge in healthy, ecological food. These are just some of the ways in which We're Smart® contributes to nurturing a healthy, sustainable and ecological world. We're Smart® was chosen in 2023 by the Belgian government as one of the official SDG Voices: designated ambassadors of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Find more solutions for a better, healthier and more sustainable world at weresmartworld.com