The awards, given to chefs who reach the standard of excellence set by the judges, recognises those in kitchen, pastry and service, with the highest scoring candidate in each section named as RACA young chef, young pastry chef or young waiter 2017.

For the AAE, kitchen finalists were required to four portions of a vegetable based starter, four portions of a quail dish, tubort a la Normande and a modern interpretation of an English summer berry dish in five hours.

Pastry finalists were required to  produce 24 dipped chocolates with ganache centres, a chocolate stand, 12 savarins and four portions of crepe soufflé while service finalists were required to decant and describe wine and set up a three course meal with wine and liqueurs to a table of two judges.

Winning candidates will be presented with a diploma and chefs jacket at a gala presentation dinner at Rosewood London on Friday, July 14.

Judges included pastry consultant Sarah Hartnett, chef patron of The Social Company  Jason Atherton, and executive chef of The Ritz London John Williams MBE.

The winners of the AAE are:

Kitchen finalists:

Olivia Catherine Burt - Fera at Claridge’s

Samuel King - The Ritz London

Henry Wadsworth - Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

Tom Waters - Bohams Restaurant

Fergus Wilford - Andre Garret at Cliveden

Pastry finalists:

Harry Barber - Hakkasan

Elena Bockshecker - Harrods

Alan Holloway - Claridge’s

Mathilde Pilaete - Alfred Dunhill

Service finalists:

Lauren Chappell - Cromlix Hotel

James Dainton - Andre Garrett at Cliveden

Piers Gibson-Birch - Luton Hoo Hotel

Karen Gruet - Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons

Lewis Hunter - The Gleneagles Hotel

Ross Hunter - The Gleneagles Hotel

Stephanie Obermayer - The Gleneagles Hotel

Remi Orero - The Greenhouse

Charlotte Poynton - The Three Chimneys

Giuseppe Scudiero - The Ritz London

Antonella Sinisgallo - Roux at the Landau

Alexander Sumerauer - The Ritz London

Gabriele Tarantola - The Ritz London

Thomas Wickens - The Berkley Hotel