Women in foodservice gather for inspirational lunch at 74 Charlotte Street by Ben Murphy

Guests enjoyed head chef Ben Murphy’s signature milk bread with whipped brown butter and pumpkin seed hummus, and his take on egg and soldiers – a parfait with brioche. A starter of bluefin tuna ceviche was served, followed by glazed beef short rib and a dessert of meringue, strawberry, Timut pepper and shortbread.

The inspirational speaker was Dr Philippa Kaye, a GP, author, journalist and broadcaster. Her expertise lies in women’s, children’s and sexual health, and she is widely recognised as one of the UK’s most trusted medical communicators.

Blending personal stories with professional expertise, Dr Kaye spoke candidly about resilience in both life and work, sharing how compassion, empathy and genuine human connection can help individuals, families and businesses navigate even the most challenging circumstances.

During her presentation, she told attendees about the importance of truly listening to one another during times of difficulties. She advised that when a friend, colleague or family member was in difficulty, to not rush in and try to fix their problems. Rather, listening and trying to understand the issue from their point of view and “getting in the trenches” with them is often more effective than big actions or empty notions of encouragement that everything will be fine.

One attendee, Virginia Turner, a bid writer at contract caterer Houston & Hawkes, said: “Although Dr Kaye is not from the foodservice industry, I thought she did a fantastic job of relating to important matters to our industry and to the many challenges we as women face each day without anyone even knowing.”

Michaela Mulvey, marketing manager at BM Caterers said: “What I like about the Inspiring Women’s events is learning about everybody’s backgrounds – not only what they do within hospitality, but what they do outside of it too: What do they do on the weekend? Do they enjoy painting? Do they do triathlons? Those sorts of things where you can really build a deeper connection with somebody.”

Candice Webber, culinary director at Bennett Hay said: “One of the reasons I love the Inspiring Women’s Lunches network is because it brings people together – women in industry supporting women in industry. It’s been fantastic. What I’ve liked most is that people are actually talking to each other, they’re playing musical chairs and crossing over to other tables, introducing themselves and finding out about other caterers.”

From our sponsor, Woods Foodservice

“The opportunity to meet inspiring women, have meaningful conversations and strengthen these valuable connections at the Inspiring Women’s Lunch is invaluable. Supporting spaces like this remains so important, and we are proud to be part of a network that supports growth, leadership and positive change across hospitality.”