“Despite still being in a form of lockdown, or perhaps even more so because of it, our guests still want the unique and special experience that good food provides. Like going to the theatre or the cinema, going to a restaurant is something that we need, and that will not die”. That is how Clare Smyth, chef at Core by Clare Smyth** (London), summed up her feelings and the current state of affairs in the midst of the pandemic. She was positive and showed no reticence about her government's actions: “I can’t complain. They have covered 80% of our employees' salaries. We don't know how much longer they will help us, but they are behaving well”. 1,200 kilometres away and a world of difference

“Customers are still expecting and looking for special experiences, and gastronomic restaurants are giving them that, so we will continue to function”. Smyth attended Gastronomika from London and is happy with the way her restaurant is running. “We have been affected by the drastic reduction in tourists, but we are in London, so we have a sufficient local clientele. It's true that we’ve had to reduce capacity and shifts, because, as we offer a three-hour experience, we now have to start the last service at 7.15 pm. They make us close at 10 pm”.

Changes in demand, said the British chef, are have a bigger impact on businesses located in city centres. “Working from home will affect premises in the centre, but they will continue to run in residential areas. Business has simply moved from one area of the city to another. People are working at home, but this doesn’t mean that they don’t want to go out. We have cooked a lot during lockdown and have got tired of it. So, even though we are working at home, we need and will need to go out and meet up and enjoy a good meal”, said the woman who was named World's Best Female Chef 2018 by The World's 50 Best.

Smyth has fought and continues to fight the situation through the intensive use of social networks – “Instagram has become an ideal way of communicating with our customers” - and by intensifying the training of her team –“We have created a virtual academy where we offer weekly sessions. We need to carry on investing in the expertise of our teams” - but not by relying on home deliveries. “A lot of my colleagues have started doing that. I'm not particularly keen on the idea. I still don't see how a Core dish can travel to someone's home without losing quality. For us, the full experience is at the restaurant”.

Clare Smyth bade farewell with a message on combating climate change and confirming that the Michelin Guide will be held in the UK in January. “It's been postponed, but we've been told it will definitely happen, because they want to show the work we're doing. This support is important, as is that of 50 Best, which has worked to remind the public that we restaurants are still here and promoting the desire to visit us”.