Chef Helen Graham leaves Bubala to pursue solo projects

Helen Graham has stepped down as executive chef of London restaurant group Bubala after five years to pursue solo projects.

The chef oversaw the launch of Bubala's first site in Spitalfields in 2019 and the opening of a second site in Soho in 2022.

Writing on Instagram over the weekend, Graham said: "After five incredible years at @bubala_london and approx 300 tonnes of hummus, I've made the tough decision to step away and pursue some exciting solo projects.

"What a ride - from the pop-ups, to our first site in Spitalfields, followed by the second in Soho, the love for these places has been amazing, and I feel very grateful and humbled by it all!"

Bubala was founded by Marc Summers with a series of pop-ups and supperclubs before opening its first permanent location in 2019.

It received rave reviews for its Middle Eastern, vegetarian cooking from the Observer's Jay Rayner and the Evening Standard's Jimi Famurewa, who said it made vegetarianism seem like the "sanest thing in the world".

Graham was named as one of Rayner's six chefs to watch in the Observer Food Monthly last year.

She wrote on Instagram: "Thank you to the teams, suppliers, and of course, the guests that have been part of my journey at Bubala, you made this all possible. Live, Laugh, Labneh."