The finalists - Arthur Quinn of The Punchball Inn, Danny Young of Northcote Manor, Elly Wentworth of Manor House Hotel, Castle Combe, Ruth Hansom of The Ritz London and Connor Godfrey, Wiltons Restaurant - will go through to the competition's final at The Restaurant Show in London 6 October where they will join seeded finalist Danny Hoang from Colette’s at The Grove (winner of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Awards of Excellence).
All six finalists will attend the Mentor Day in the KNORR Kitchen in Leatherhead on Monday 7 September where they will be given key ingredients or specified dishes with which to create their menu and presented with vital information, rules and advice as well as focused demonstrations to ensure they are completely at ease with the process.
Craft Guild of Chefs vice president and organiser of the competition David Mulcahy said: “Young National Chef of the Year would be a tough challenge for an experienced chef never mind someone in their late teens or early twenties. These young finalists don’t just possess culinary talent but the determination and work ethic needed to succeed at a high level. I wish every one of them well as they work towards the next stage of the competition.”
Mark Sargeant, Young National Chef of the Year Ambassador, added: “Once again the standard of cooking in this competition has been fantastic. I’ve been particularly impressed with the effort made to take into account provenance and flavour. In essence, the finalists demonstrated great skills and cooked absolutely delicious food. I can’t wait to see and taste what they produce in the final.”
The winner and runners up will be revealed along with The National Chef of the Year at an awards ceremony following the final on Tuesday 6 October.