The names of 40 semi-finalists battling it out for the coveted National Chef of the Year title have been released.
Over the past few weeks, the panel of judges have been reviewing all the entries received from competitors across the UK, which focused on the theme of ’Classic meets Contemporary’.
Those involved in the blind judging programme 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.
Each semi-finalist received a chef jacket from Continental Chef Supplies (CCS) and Lafont, as well as gifts from Churchill and Essential Cuisine.
For the next round of the competition, they will be tasked with creating a hot or cold pre-dessert, showcasing seasonal fruits or vegetables. The dish can be sweet or savoury and should take inspiration from their own culinary journey.
Chefs must consider food story, dish balance, and avoidance of waste while ensuring the main ingredients shine.
Ten chefs will go head-to-head at the grand final at the University of West London on 7 October before the winner is announced at a glittering awards ceremony at the Hippodrome Casino in London’s Leicester Square.
Abé, chef patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, said: “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.”
Mulcahy, competition director and vice-president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, organisers of the competition, added: “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.”
The 40 semi-finalists for this year’s National Chef of the Year competition 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
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, 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
Former winners of National Chef of the Year, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022, include Russell Bateman, Alyn Williams, Hrishikesh Desai, Steve Groves, Ben Murphy and Gordon Ramsay.
