Ana Roš

When Ana Ros started as a chef in Slovenia, all she had were some cookbooks and a bit of a "crazy" personality, as she herself puts it.

Now the self-taught cook, who was named the world's best woman chef in 2017, has her two Michelin stars tattooed on her fingers, and is helping make her small Alpine homeland one of Europe's prime gastronomic destinations.

Hiša Franko in Kobarid in northwest Slovenia remains one of the world's top 50 restaurants according to the British trade magazine Restaurant. The restaurant run by celebrity chef Ana Roš even improved its standing, ranking 32nd, up from the 34th place last year.

The jury was impressed by the restaurant's philosophy and values, Roš's team said.

Hiša Franko, the restaurant run by the Slovenian Michelin-starred chef Ana Roš in the Soča Valley, has been picked as one of Europe's best gourmet getaways by the National Geographic.

On 7 April, the UK-based magazine National Geographic Traveller released the list of 23 iconic European restaurants that it says merit saving up and planning a short trip around them.

The new season of Ljubljana's hugely popular outdoor food market known as Open Kitchen starts on 17 March, featuring more than 50 stalls serving both traditional Slovenian cuisine and foreign culinary delights.

For the 11th year running, visitors will be able to treat their taste buds in Pogačar Square next to Ljubljana's central market every Friday between 10am and 9pm.

Sometimes the best stories happen unexpectedly – in this case the collaboration between Hiša Franko and self-made hippy farmers Jeanne and Matteo.

In June, at the time covid-stricken restaurant industry desperately needed a push, Slovenia got its first Michelin guide - the stars always mean a lot to chefs, but in this very particular case they were literal lifesavers.

Roš, a self-taught cook who took over the restaurant from her parents-in-law, became the first chef with two Michelin stars in the region.

It's 9am and Ana Roš is already back from her morning run to the Nadiža river. It has become a routine over the past year, a year of major successes and major drama for Hiša Franko, the world's 48th restaurant and the only one run by a female chef.