A NORTHERN IRISH chef has been named as the best female chef in the world, at an awards ceremony last night.

Clare Smyth – who was born in Co Antrim – was awarded the honour during the World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards at a ceremony in Bilbao.

Smyth opened her debut restaurant – Core by Clare Smyth – last year in London.

Before this, she worked 15 years in three-Michelin star restaurants under some of the world’s best chefs, after leaving her home at 16 to work in London.

She was previously known as a protégée of British chef Gordon Ramsay, with whom she worked for more than 13 years.

She became head chef in one of his restaurants at just 28 years old, and became chef-patron of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay four years later.

She has since stepped out of the famous chef’s shadow, opening her own restaurant in London’s Notting Hill area. Core combines French cooking experience with a passion for UK produce.

Italian restaurant Osteria Francescana, located in Modena in Italy and ran by Massimo Bottura scooped the top award for world’s best restaurant at the ceremony yesterday.

El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain got second place, while Mirazur in Menton, France came third.

There were no Irish restaurants in the top 50 list.