A statement provided on behalf of Gyngell’s family, friends and colleagues says: “We are deeply saddened to share news of Skye Gyngell’s passing on 22 November in London, surrounded by her family and loved ones.
“Skye was a culinary visionary who influenced generations of chefs and growers globally to think about food and its connection to the land.
“She leaves behind a remarkable legacy and is an inspiration to us all.
“The family requests privacy at this time.”
The Australian-born chef trained at La Varenne in Paris under Anne Willan before moving to the UK to work at The French House and then at The Dorchester under Anton Mosimann.
She went on to become head chef at Petersham Nurseries, where she won the café-style restaurant located inside a greenhouse within the Petersham Nurseries garden centre and nurseries a Michelin star in 2011. This proved to be a key moment in the guide’s recognition of more casual restaurants and less reliance on French food and techniques.
Following Petersham Nurseries, Gyngell launched Spring in 2014 within London’s Somerset House. Her first solo project also proved to be a game changer, being one of the first high-profile restaurants in the capital to have a primarily female brigade in the kitchen, and the first single-use plastic free restaurant in London, a nod to her position as a leading advocate for sustainability in the culinary world.
This drive also led to the introduction of the restaurant’s famous ‘scratch menu’, a limited set menu served daily that’s created using surplus ingredients that would otherwise go to waste.
In 2012 she was appointed culinary director at Heckfield Place and played an instrumental role in adopting regenerative practices across the estate. Marle at Heckfield Place was awarded a green Michelin Star in 2022 and has retained it every year since.
Earlier this year, Gyngell was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Restaurant Awards.
Last year Gyngell revealed that she had been battling a rare and aggressive skin cancer, a process that saw her lose her sense of taste and smell for a period of a few months. She also announced that she would never work in a kitchen again on a full-time basis.
In an interview with Restaurant last year, Gyngell spoke about her ambitions for Spring, saying: “I hope [Spring] survives for another 10 years, and that relies on us cooking beautiful food and delivering great service.
“I just hope that can continue, and we can have wonderful talented people work for us and go further. I want it to be a happy place that thrives. I want to do more work with the farm, have a growing programme, and bring younger people back to the land.
“They’re small ambitions. I just want to continue to feel proud of the work we do. We’re not perfect and we can still go further, but everything we do is done authentically.”
Gyngell was The Independent on Sunday’s food writer for five years and also published four books: A Year in My Kitchen, My Favourite Ingredients, How I Cook, and Spring.