National Chef of the Year finalists revealed

Normally, 10 chefs make the finals but chair of judges Kenny Atkinson has put an additional two chefs through in recognition of the quality of the candidates this year. 

The 12 chefs (see list, below) are from some of the best restaurants in the country, including The Glenturret Restaurant by Lalique in Perthshire; Frog by Adam Handling in London; The Forest Side in Cumbria; and Inver in Argyll and Bute. 

The final will take place at the University of West London on 10 October, with the chefs set to create dishes that explore the current challenges kitchens are facing, not least food price inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.

“It was absolutely fascinating to watch the videos and see how each chef celebrated their one humble ingredient. The standard of dishes was genuinely mind-blowing from the semi-finalists and so when we put the scores from both rounds together, we had a real challenge on our hands,” says Atkinson. 

“As chair of judges, I knew I needed to taste the dishes of every single one of these finalists which is why we’ve increased the number of chefs still in the running. The results have been so close to call in both judging rounds so I would say to every chef who hasn’t made it through to try again as you’ve absolutely risen to the challenge and next year it could be you in this position.”

Competition director, David Mulcahy, added: “This year has already proven to be one of the most hotly contested and closely fought competitions I’ve seen in all the years I’ve organised it. Working closely with our sponsors, we’ve got an exciting few months lined up with plans for a thought-provoking and inspiring mentor day at the Waitrose Food Innovation Studio well underway. From the dishes we’ve seen in both rounds, we know it is going to be a thrilling cook-off in October.”