Pip Lacey, the chef behind London restaurants Hicce and Hicce Hart, has been named chair of judges for the Roux Scholarship 2026 — becoming the first woman to lead the judging panel in the competition's 41-year history.
The announcement comes as this year's final approaches, with six candidates selected from kitchens across the UK preparing to cook against the brief in front of an assembled panel that includes some of Britain's most celebrated chefs and restaurateurs.
Lacey, who won the Roux Scholarship herself in 2016, describes the appointment as "one of the most meaningful things that has happened to me professionally." She says she was 27 when she entered the competition for the first time and that the experience of cooking under those conditions — the precision required, the scrutiny, the clarity of purpose — shaped how she approaches her own kitchens.
The competition in 2026
The Roux Scholarship is widely regarded as the most rigorous culinary competition in the United Kingdom. Unlike awards based on critic reviews or peer voting, the scholarship requires candidates to cook a dish to specification, in a competition kitchen, in front of judges who include Michel Roux Jr and Alain Roux, and to do so at a level that justifies the prize: a fully funded stage at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant anywhere in the world.
This year's brief was set around a classical French technique applied to a British ingredient — a formula the competition has used to productive effect in recent years, generating dishes that sit at the productive intersection of the two culinary traditions that have most shaped professional cookery in this country.
The six finalists, drawn from restaurant kitchens in London, Edinburgh, Manchester and the West Midlands, were selected from an initial field of over 90 applicants. The competition is open to any professional chef under 30 working in the UK.
Lacey on judging
"What I remember most clearly from competing is how honest the process is," Lacey told The Mise. "You cannot hide anything. The dish tells the truth about what you know, what you've practised, what you care about. That's an extraordinary thing to ask of a young chef, and it's also the most valuable thing you can ask of them."
As chair, Lacey will lead the deliberations and deliver the result. She says her primary concern is that every candidate leaves the final room knowing precisely where they excelled and where there is work to do — regardless of the outcome.
The Roux Scholarship final takes place in London in late April. Results will be announced on the evening of the final day of competition.