The Search for the UK’s Top Young Chef Talent is on!

The Search for the UK’s Top Young Chef Talent Young National Chef of the Year surpasses all other young chef contests, bringing together those identified as the best young chefs in the industry and giving them a platform on which to build their future careers. Winning YNCOTY firmly establishes a chef as a rising star of the culinary world both in the UK and beyond. Being crowned as Young National Chef of the Year is a highly sought after prize, but as well as going home with this prestigious accolade, the winner will also receive some incredible stagiaires and PR opportunities that will truly raise their profile in the industry.

Entry into Young National Chef of the Year is by invitation only and this year’s semi-final line-up consisted of 27 chefs who earned their place in the competition by already having proven themselves in the competition arena, or who had been nominated by one of our YNCOTY Ambassador Chef group consisting of some of the UK’s leading chefs. Competitors were required to create a three-course meal which could be cooked and served within 2 hours which is suitable for a pescatarian.

Chefs needed to start their menu with a filled vegetarian agnolotti pasta dish, suitably garnished, which contained one ingredient that has been foraged or sourced locally. For the main course, the chefs created a dish using fresh Norwegian halibut served with a Douceur de France butter-based sauce. To finish, candidates created their own interpretation of a filled choux dessert. This dish should have incorporated fresh fruit with a complementary seasonal Boiron puree of their choice.

There were some incredibly innovative entries received from all the semi-finalists, but eventually after much discussion and deliberation the judges whittled it down to just 12 who competed in the final.

The full line-up of young chefs who battled it out in the final was:

  • Callum Barbour, senior chef de partie, The Star Inn, Harome 
  • Henry Pratt, senior chef de partie, Northcote 
  • Jacob Gosselin, junior sous chef, The Longueville Manor Hotel, Jersey 
  • Jonny Smith, junior sous chef, Gravetye Manor, Sussex
  • Keaton Cooper, chef de partie, The Angel at Hetton 
  • Keira Carolan, demi chef de partie, Henrock, Windermere 
  • Lewis Nicholas, junior sous chef, Lympstone Manor, Devon
  • Matt Robinson, sous chef, Eleanore, Edinburgh
  • Nathan Cooper, senior chef de partie, Goldman Sachs, BaxterStorey
  • Nathan Johnson, junior sous chef, Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, Bath
  • Reuben Flatman, demi chef de partie, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
  • Rosie Welch, chef de partie, L'Enclume, Cartmel


The next stage for the finalists was the mentor day at the Waitrose Innovation Studio, Bracknell, where the chefs met all the sponsors to sample and gain a better understanding of their products, hear from their chair of judges, and pick up valuable hints and tips to help them with their preparations for the final.

The grand final took place at University of West London on 8th October when the finalists cooked their three-course menu for our team of highly regarded judges, who selected this year’s winner.

Jonny Smith from Gravetye Manor wowed the judges and achieved the prestigious title of the Craft Guild of Chefs’ Young National Chef of the Year after serving up three stunning plates of food for the judges. He created a starter of golden cross goats cheese agnolotti, Gravetye tomatoes and basil, Norwegian halibut shiitake and cauliflower for main course and a dessert of choux bun, whipped Opalys ganache, honey poached quince.

Taking the runner-up spot was Rosie Welch from L’Enclume with Keira Carolan who works at Henrock in third place.

Judging this year’s hotly anticipated final was Chair of Judges Russell Bateman alongside Ali Howard, Chantelle Nicholson, Alex Angelogiannis, Phil Howard, Ollie Dabbous, Ruth Hansom-Rigby, Denis Drame, Graham Hornigold, George Blogg and Paul Mannering. Finalists had to serve up a three-course menu in two hours following an innovative criteria set by Russell.

Sustainability has always been at the heart of this competition but this year the Guild introduced a new element in association with HIT Training. National Hospitality & Culinary Lead at HIT, Paul Mannering was given the specific task of observing food waste throughout the menu planning and cooking process. He awarded the new food waste award to Keira Carolan.

The Young National Chef of the Year competition is supported by Seafood from Norway, Les Vergers Boiron, Douceur de France, Churchill and HIT Training.

Hear what our winners had to say...

YNCOTY Title Holders

  • 2025 Jonny Smith
  • 2024 Sam Dixon
  • 2023 Mae Dionio
  • 2022 Daniel Cornish
  • 2021 Edwin Kuk
  • 2020 William Keeble
  • 2019 Henry Wadsworth
  • 2018 Danny Young
  • 2017 Ruth Hansom
  • 2013 Ben Champkin
  • 2012 Charles Smith
  • 2016 Danny Hoang
  • 2014 Luke Selby