Pic is to head the panel of judges alongside Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr, joint chairmen, at the final at Westminster Kingsway College, London, on Monday, April 10. One of six finalists will be crowned the winner on the same evening at The Langham, London.

Pic said: “I feel very honoured to be involved with the 2017 Roux Scholarship, it is an interesting competition emphasising both tradition and innovation.”

Pic, who in 2007 became the only woman to hold three Michelin stars at a restaurant in France, at Anne-Sophie Pic, Valence, and is set to open her first restaurant in London, Le Dame de Pic at the Four Seasons Hotel. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants named her the World’s Best Female Chef in 2011.

Michel Roux, OBE, said: “We must congratulate Anne-Sophie Pic for the true leadership she is displaying by becoming guest president of the judges and be thankful that despite spreading her wings in Europe and increasing her workload, this remarkable lady commits to spurring on the next generation.

“In particular, I hope this message encourages more female chefs in the UK to enter the Roux Scholarship.”

Submissions for the Roux Scholarship close at midnight on January 31.