Over 100 entries were whittled down by a panel of judges led by Gary Jones, executive head chef at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.
Candidates had to write a menu consisting of a ‘Perfect Egg Dish’ starter served hot, a beef main courses including two cuts and cooking methods, and a dessert of chocolate tart garnished with seasonal fruits.
The semi-finalists will compete in four separate heats, with the winner of each going through to the final on 1 October at The Restaurant Show in London. The remaining six places will be awarded to the chefs who achieve the next highest scores across all heats.
Heat 1 of the competition will take place in Sheffield on 11 June and the chefs invited to take part in this round are:
• Marc Billings, sous chef, Prestwold Hall
• Nick Edgar, head chef, The Ryebeck Hotel
• Scott Fairweather, head chef, The Black Swan, Ravenstonedale
• Derek Johnstone, head chef, Borthwick Castle
• Daniel McGeorge, head chef, Rothay Manor
• Marcin Pomierny, head chef, The Maids Head Hotel
• Matthew Ramsdale, senior sous chef, The Chester Grosvenor
• Rohan Wadke, head chef, Gilpin Hotel & Lake House
• Aled Williams, head of food, TRUEfoods & CHEFStable
• Daniel Griffiths, sous chef, Portmeirion hotel
The final three heats will be completed at Le Cordon Bleu in London on 18 June 2019 with a line-up of chefs including:
Heat 2
• Ben Addems, senior CDP, Restaurant Interlude
• Ben Boeynaems, head chef, The Zetter Hotel
• Fraser Bruce, head chef, The Halsetown Inn
• Olivier Geyer, culinary executive head chef, Cuisine Solutions
• Arturo Granato, head chef, Club Gascon
• Ben Howarth, national exec development chef, Thomas Franks ltd
• Daniel Jones, head chef/owner, JT3
• Lewis Linley, sous chef, Vacherin
• Stefan Sewell, Team Captain Combined Services Culinary Arts Team (CSCAT)
• Santosh Shah, executive chef, Baluchi
Heat 3
• Jake Burton Stewart, junior sous chef, The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn
• Charles Coulombeau, head chef, Gravetye Manor
• Liam Grime, military chef, Combined Services Culinary Arts Team (CSCAT)
• Harry Kirkpatrick, sous chef, Trinity Restaurant
• Mehdi Lahmadi, junior sous chef, Coworth Park Hotel
• Martin Lee, head chef, Hartwell House Hotel
• Renemar Pinedo, sous chef, The Feathered Nest Country Inn
• Jack Shaw, head chef, Lexington Catering
• Robert Sussex, senior sous chef, ISS
• Adam Thomason, executive chef, Genuine Dining Company
Heat 4
• Adam Degg, head pastry chef, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill
• Steve Groves, head chef, Roux at Parliament Square
• Karl O'Dell, head chef, Texture
• Ashley Randle, head chef, The Hambrough hotel
• Jozef Rogulski, executive head chef, The Stafford Hotel London
• Nick Smith, head chef, Vacherin/Ashurst
• Robert Taylor, chef/owner, Compasses Inn
• Matthew Waldron, head chef, Park House Restaurant
• Christopher Willis, hospitality head chef, BNP Paribas
• Jonathan Zammit, executive sous chef, Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa