Hundreds of chefs, pastry chefs and restaurant managers took part in the process, whittled down to 16 for the finals which took place throughout September.

Of the 16 finalists, seven were able to demonstrate to the judges that they held the standard required to achieve Master of Culinary Arts recognition.

The seven, which did not include any pastry chefs as no finalist met the required standard, were celebrated at a dinner held at London's Claridge's  hotel on 5 October.

The winners were as follows-

CHEFS

Adam Bennett, Chef Director, The Cross at Kenilworth

Chris Hill, Premier Sous Chef, The Ritz Hotel

Adam Smith, Executive Chef, Coworth Park

Adam Thomason, Head Chef, Deloitte, Restaurant Associates

Anthony Wright, Senior Chef Lecturer, University College Birmingham

RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE

Alessandro Fasoli, General Manager, The Woodspeen Restaurant and Cookery School

Giovanni Ferlito, Head of Wine and Beverage, The Ritz London.

Brian J. Turner CBE, president of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, said: “Like fine wines, some years produce great vintages, some years are less fruitful. 

"This prominent award is based on perfection. The judges, experienced industry professionals and MCA holders themselves, are looking for candidates to deliver the highest standards under the extremes of pressure that working in the catering industry demands on a day-to-day basis.

“It is for this reason that only a very few candidates ever achieve this standard. It takes real courage to enter the MCA and exceptional skill, to reach the finals.

"This year we have seen some immensely talented and dedicated individuals yet only seven from two of the three disciplines were able to demonstrate the unique talent to win this esteemed title. We hope that those who were less successful this year will take heart and be inspired by previous winners and that they will contend again.”

Chef finalists had six and a half hours to prepare and present a Dover sole dish using langoustines, mussels and razor clams, and a partridge dish, each dish accompanied with three garnishes.

Each dish was prepared for eight covers, all portions of the Dover sole were plated, and the partridge dish was presented on a silver flat with two plated portions.

Restaurant management & service finalists were assessed on their preparation and the service of a four-course meal to two tables each, one of three covers and one of four.

Now held every four years, the Master of Culinary Arts began in 1987 inspired by Michel Bourdin and supported by Albert and Michel Roux OBEs.