A chef who works at a Michelin-starred restaurant in East Lancashire has been named the best female chef in the country.

Lisa Goodwin-Allen, who is the executive chef at Langho’s Northcote Hotel and Restaurant, has been named female chef of the year at an awards ceremony hosted by restaurant review and booking website, SquareMeal.

Each year SquareMeal scours the country to come up with a list of top female chefs, looking at all sorts of criteria, from creativity and innovation to training and style.

Lisa was given the accolade at an exclusive chefs' evening on Tuesday night (November 8) in London.

She was shortlisted along with more than 30 other chefs across the UK and beat them all for the title.

Lisa has been at the helm of British food for nearly 20 years. Her signature style, which is described as “playful and innovative, but respecting classic dishes and flavours”, has had a huge hand in driving British cooking into an exciting new era.

Speaking about the award, Lisa said: "To be seen as a champion for women working in the hospitality sector by SquareMeal readers is an absolute honour.

“Being an ambassador like this and inspiring the next generation of cooks, so that the next cohort of female chefs does great things, is really important to me.

“It's vital that we nurture young talent, and provide them with all the tools they need to succeed.

"The industry is crying out for people, it's a fantastic and rewarding sector to be in, but as an industry we need to be flexible; something I'm passionate about reflecting in my kitchen and with my team."

SquareMeal head of content Caroline Hendry said: “Lisa Goodwin-Allen was a front-runner for this year’s award from the very beginning.

“Lisa is well-respected in an industry notorious for being a high-pressure working environment, and her ability to create impeccable menus, nurture new talent and be a positive voice in the industry means we couldn’t imagine a better chef to honour at this year’s awards.”