Ruth Hansom and Emily Lambert secure Million Pound Menu investment

The investment was announced on the first episode of BBC Two series Million Pound Menu, broadcast last night, which sees chefs and budding restaurateurs seek investment from well-known chefs, restaurateurs and investors.

Epoch, which will be set up using £750,000-£1m from Kochhar, will be a seasonal British restaurant that uses carefully chosen UK growers and English wines.

Hansom, aged 20 and the 2017 Young National Chef of the Year, will launch the restaurant alongside her 22 year old business partner Emily Lambert, The Ritz’s first ever female sommelier.

Million Pound Menu, hosted by Galvin at Windows general manager Fred Sirieix, saw Hansom and Lambert compete against self-trained chef Euan Hutchinson, who was seeking investment to turn his shrimp street food concept into a bricks and mortar restaurant.

Both teams set up pop-up dining spaces in Manchester, and had three days to convince investors that they were deserving of their financial backing.

“Throughout the whole competition they stood out for all the right reasons, from their entirely British dining concept to their business acumen,” says Kochhar on his decision to invest in the pair.

“These ladies are truly talented and I’m looking forward to mentoring them as they progress in the hospitality industry.”

Hanson and Lambert will be collaborating with chef Atul Kochhar at his Amersham restaurant Hawkyns on 6 and 7 June.