The 25-year-old was selected following a cook-off against four other chefs at The Skills Show at Birmingham NEC on 18 November.
Each candidate had to prepare a fish dish using Fjord trout and lobster, and a meat platter using a short saddle of lamb, each with a minimum of three garnishes.
Judges included UK team president Brian Turner CBE, Adam Bennett (The Cross at Kenilworth), and Claude Bosi (Bibendum), while Philip Tessier, head coach of Bocuse d’Or USA and former French Laundry executive chef, travelled from California to help judge the contest.
Phillips will go on to compete in the European heat of the Bocuse d’Or in Turin on 11-12 June 2018, where only the top ten countries will make it through to the world finals in Lyon in January 2019.
“It was a privilege to compete against some of the UK's best chefs,” says Philips, who was supported by commis chef Nathan Lane, of The Ritz.
“I have followed the Bocuse d'Or since I started to cook and always dreamt of competing, winning on Saturday was the beginning of my career dream becoming a reality! Both Nathan and I can’t wait to get stuck into training.”
Adam Thomason, executive chef at Restaurant Associates was the runner-up. The other chefs competing were Chris Hill, premier sous chef, The Ritz London, Frederick Forster, executive chef at The Don Restaurant London, and Tony Wright, senior lecturer at University College Birmingham and UK Bocuse d’Or candidate 2016.
Global contest
The Bocuse d’Or was launched by French chef Paul Bocuse in 1987 and now sees more than 60 countries participate worldwide.
Team UK is hoping to improve on its previous performance after it failed to qualify for the 2017 finals, placing 17th out of 20 entrants in the European heat.
The UK has never placed in the worldwide top three, though Bennett lead the team to fourth place in 2013.
Mathew Peters from Per Se in New York became the first American ever to win the competition this year.