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Kenny Atkinson
Chef Patron at the Michelin-starred restaurant, House of Tides in Newcastle and 2022 Chair of Judges for NCOTY“National Chef of the Year is a competition which I have both competed in and judged throughout my career, so to be asked and named Chairman of Judges is an absolute honour. When I think of the names that have judged this prestigious competition over the years it fills me with huge pride, and I have some big shoes to fill. NCOTY is an amazing competition for chefs of all levels to showcase their skills on a platform like no other. I’m looking forward to following the hard work that the previous judges have done to bring a new dynamic to this competition and to help showcase the amazing talent we have in this country.”
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Lisa Goodwin-Allen
Executive chef at Northcote and 2022 Chair of Judges for YNCOTY“It is a great honour to be chosen to be the new Chair of this prestigious competition which is very high acclaimed throughout the industry, and I look forward to the challenge ahead. Over the next two years, I want to really inspire young chefs to look at the quality of ingredients and flavour and tell a story of who they are with their dishes.”
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Paul Ainsworth
Chef-patron, Paul Ainsworth at No. 6 and 2020 and 2021 Chair of Judges“I am absolutely committed to this role and believe it’s important to lead from the top so my judging will be honest, firm and honourable. As head judge, I’ll be watching semi-finalists and finalists closely during the cook-offs and making sure the team of judges are working hard throughout the two hours to find the right winner. Whilst it’s important this competition remains current, it’s a cooking competition at the end of the day and I want the competitors to produce food that appeals to all five senses. As judges we just want to taste food that makes us say ‘wow’.”
Hear from our Chairman
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Hrishikesh Desai
2020 - 2021 YNCOTY Chair of judges, executive chef at The Gilpin Hotel and Lake House in Windermere“It is an absolute honour for me to chair the Young National Chef of the Year, these finalists are the upcoming stars of our industry and we want them to be the catalyst for change and inspire their colleagues and peers. Ensuring that this competition could still go ahead in 2020 was an important project for me over the last few months as I know giving positivity, hope and focus to chefs is more important than ever. We had to tweak how we selected the finalists, but we invited a strong group of chefs who have already had success in other competitions; this led to an incredible final.”
Hear from our Chair of judges -
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Gary Jones
Executive Head Chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Chairman 2018 and 2019“I am privileged to be the Chair of judges for NCOTY. It’s a competition that has been won by so many talented chefs, has an incredible panel of judges, and receives fantastic support from media, sponsors and partners. I’ll be working with the Craft Guild of Chefs to find new and exciting ways to drive this event forward, whilst ensuring that culinary skills continue to be at the heart of every stage of the competition. It’s this skills focus which make the NCOTY title so credible, and one that so many chefs across the UK aspire to win.”
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Clare Smyth MBE
Chairman of judges and chef patron at three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay“It’s great to have so many fantastic chefs entering and whilst we’ve had some fantastic finals, 2015 was exceptionally high in standard and I think this really was the best ever. I want to encourage chefs from all sectors to take part as it is a great platform to get your name out there”
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Philip Howard
Proprietor of the two Michelin-starred The Square Restaurant“The Craft Guild has put together an exemplary competition, which progresses with the times and requires truly talented chefs to enter in order to do it justice. For those who do, the rewards are immense.”
Judges
Judging panels over the past few years have included:
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Adam Handling
Chef/Owner
Adam Handling Restaurant Group
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Aktar Islam
Chef Director/Owner
Opheem
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Anthony Demetre
Chef Patron
Wild Honey St James -
Damien Wager
Edible Art Patisserie
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Gary Hunter
Deputy Executive Principal
Westminster College
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George Blogg
Head Chef
Gravetye Manor
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James Knappett
Owner/Chef, Kitchen Table
Bubbledogs
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Jonny Bone
Head Chef
Core by Clare Smyth
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Lisa Goodwin Allen
Executive Head Chef
Northcote Manor
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Matt Owens
Chairman, Craft Guild of Chefs
Development Chef for Alliance Group
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Paul Askew
Chef/owner
The Art School restaurant and Art school Cellars Author
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Paul Foster
Chef Patron
Salt
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Paul Walsh
Executive Chef
City Social
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Peter Joyner
Food Development Director
Elior
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Sophie Mitchell
Chef & Caterer
TV Presenter and Food writer
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Stephen Scuffell
Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs
Chef Ambassador Gourmet Classic
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Steve Munkley
Vice President Craft Guild of Chefs
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Willie Pike
Masterchef
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David Mulcahy
Food Innovation and Sustainability Director
Schools and Universities, Sodexo UK & Ireland
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Sat Bains
Chef Patron
Restaurant Sat Bains
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Simon Hulstone
Chef Patron
The Elephant Restaurant
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Frederick Forster
Head Chef
SOW Restaurants
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William Curley
Pâtissier-Chocolatier
William Curley Ltd
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Stephen Terry
Restaurateur
The Hardwick Arms
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Clare Smyth
Chef/Owner
Core by Clare Smyth
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Claude Bosi
Bibendum restaurant in Chelsea
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Jonny Lake
Chef Patron
Trivet Restaurant
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Mark Birchall
Chef Director
Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms
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James 'Jocky' Petrie
Group Executive Development Chef
Gordon Ramsay Group
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Philip Howard
Chef Patron
Elystan Street
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Ollie Dabbous
Chef & Founder
Hide
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Graham Hornigold
Director
Smart Patisserie -
Alyn Williams
Head Chef
Alyn Williams at The Westbury, London
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Julie Walsh
Head Pastry Chef Lecturer
Le Cordon Bleu
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Russell Bateman
Head Chef for Petrus
Former winner of National Chef of the Year
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Lee Westcott
Chef-Owner
Pensons
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Daniel Galmiche
Chef Patron
Pot Kiln
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Luke Selby
Former Young National Chef of the Year
and National Chef of the Year winner
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Hayden Groves
Executive Chef at BaxterStorey
Former National Chef of the Year winner
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Chantelle Nicholson
Chef Patron
Tredwells
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Kuba Winkowski
Former National Chef of the Year winner