Skye Gyngell

Skye Gyngell was the Culinary Director of Spring and Heckfield Place until her passing in November 2025. Her influence is firmly embedded not only into the kitchens at Spring and Heckfield Place, but into the wider vision and ethos that continue to guide us today, as well as the many small details that defined her way of working. More widely, Skye’s impact is deeply woven in the fabric of British cooking and hospitality. Originally from Australia, she became one of the country’s most influential chefs through a career defined by integrity, generosity, and a profound respect for seasonal ingredients and the people who grow them.

Spring, which opened in 2014, was Skye’s first solo venture. Situated in the New Wing of Somerset House, it brought Skye’s ingredient-led cooking into a space that reflected her belief in beauty, generosity, and care at every level. Spring stands as a defining expression of Skye’s work and values. She was integral to everything it represents, from its values and ethos to the food, space, and way of working that continue today. Many chefs, waiters, and collaborators moved through the Spring team over the years, shaped by Skye’s mentorship and by a philosophy that is now carefully held in trust so others can continue to experience it.

Alongside her work at Spring, Skye served as Culinary Director at Heckfield Place, where she helped guide the culinary vision and worked closely with the Home Farm team to celebrate produce grown on the estate. Long before it became commonplace in English restaurants, Skye championed farmers, small producers, and truly seasonal ingredients. Her approach reshaped expectations of how food could be grown, cooked, and shared, and continues to inform the way many restaurants cook today.