Forty Chefs Are Battling It Out For The National Chef Of The Year Title
Pictured: Asen Ibrov, Carl Cleghorn, Jaden Dunn, Sam Rust, Thomas James
The names of 40 semi-finalists battling it out for the coveted National Chef of the Year title have been released.
Widely regarded as the leading culinary competition in the UK, this event celebrates the very best in professional cooking and reaching the semi-final stage is a testament to each chef’s exceptional skill, creativity, and dedication to their craft.
Over recent weeks, a panel of culinary experts have reviewed every single entry they received from competitors across the UK who work in a variety of sectors and establishments. Industry leaders involved in the blind-judging included Matt Abé, David Mulcahy, Sarah Frankland, Hrishikesh Desai, Gary Jones, Chris Galvin, Sarah Hartnett, Steve Groves, George Blogg, Dominic Owen, Paul Askew, James Sommerin and Willie Pike.
Achieving top 40 spots in the competition this year are:
- Asen Ibrov, Potato Junction
- Barry Gamble, Aramark UK @ Aegon Edinburgh
- Callum Leslie, The Black Swan at Oldstead
- Cameron Reynolds, HIDE
- Carl Cleghorn, Tyme by Carl Cleghorn
- Chris Loye, Flavour
- Christopher Beavis, RAF Benson
- Cleverson Cordeiro, Frog by Adam Handling
- Craig Edgell, Buoy and Oyster
- Danny Young, The Torridon
- David Millar, Carlowrie Castle
- David Neilson, Dakota Hotel
- Elliot Mullins, Restaurant Concorde
- George Boarer, Etch by Steven Edwards
- George Fisher, BaxterStorey at UBS
- Grahame Wickham, Claridge’s
- Iain Gourlay, Dalhousie Castle Hotel
- Ian Wilson, Royal Navy, Catering Training Wing, Worthy Down
-
Katie Morgan Jaden Dunn, Northwick Estate – Upton Wold
- Jethro Lawrence, Apetito
- Josh Hughes, Hide & Fox
- Joshua Morris, Tyddyn Llan
- Kacper Walor, Bubblefood
- Katie Morgan, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons
- Luciano Lucioli, Lucioli Catering Services
- Marcus Ashton-Simpson, DN1
- Matthew Blowing, Purslane Restaurant
- MD Shisir, Cornus Restaurant
- Neil Yule, Sodexo, Astra Zeneca Discovery Centre
- Robert Donnelly, Royal Air Force
- Russell Plowman, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie
-
Ruth Hansom-Rigby Ruth Hansom-Rigby, Hansom Restaurant
- Sam Rust, Parc le Breos
- Sean Parkes, Station Road Restaurant @ The Lovat Hotel
- Sergio Cinotti, Gem42
- Shaurya Kapur, Rosewood
- Stephen Andrews, Fish and Forest
- Thomas James, Tesco
- Tom Bennetts, Driftwood Spars
- Yann Florio, Haute Cuisine Ltd
For the next stage of the competition, chefs are challenged with making a showstopping hot or cold pre-dessert. Ten chefs will then go head-to-head at the grand final at the University of West London on Tuesday, 7th October before the winner is revealed at a VIP awards evening at The Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square.
Matt Abé, chef patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay said:
“Personally, I was delighted to see a real mix of new entrants giving the title a go and former competitors coming back even stronger than in previous years. During the deliberation, every judge praised the high standard of entries this year with a particular focus around innovation and incredible culinary skills.
Those who made the top forty have really delved into the detail of the brief and carefully considered every element from seasonality to skill and flavour to food waste. This has resulted in a high number of dishes that I truly hope to be able to taste in the final.”
David Mulcahy, competition director and vice-president of the Craft Guild of Chefs added:
“The Craft Guild of Chefs Instagram account has been flooded with photos from proud semi-finalists and rightly so as this is a huge achievement. The competitors haven’t made it easy for us once again and we really appreciate the huge amount of work that goes into every single entry.
Our rigorous judging process allows us to analyse each dish as well as the overall balance of each menu. We have individual teams blind judging starters, main courses and desserts, with Matt and myself scoring every single dish. It’s only once all the scores have been added together and verified that names are revealed.
For those who don’t make it through, ask for feedback, learn from the experience, and know that the standard in this competition is incredibly high. Every single competitor held their own.”