Students are invited to sign up for the CombiGuru app which will test their knowledge of the gastronomic world with a quiz.

The students with the highest scores will advance to the next stage: The Oven Challenge. This next round will see students flown out to Unox’s headquarters in Padua for an all-expenses-paid three-day trip to Italy.

The students compete in a practical cooking challenge where they must prepare and present two dishes for an expert jury. The winning student will take away a state-of-the-art Unox oven for their college on top of an ‘incredible individual prize’ to be revealed after the contest.

Scott Duncan, managing director of Unox, said: “At the heart of this competition, Unox wants to support the education and development of student chefs.

“CombiGuru is a fantastic opportunity for catering students to meet their industry peers from across the UK and get a taste of what it’s like to cook in a professional kitchen as it enables them to cook with the same professional equipment used in venues across the foodservice industry - from Michelin-star restaurants to well-known chains.

“This is a unique opportunity for budding chefs to take their skills to the next level and get valuable feedback from industry professionals. We’re looking forward to meeting 2025’s finalists in Italy next April. Good luck to all!”

Preparing to run for its eighth year, the competition has been ‘cooking up a storm’ across Italy, Spain, and the UK. This year alone saw more than 3,000 students from across the three countries sign up, with 23 colleges taking away a MIND.Maps oven by Unox.

Offering students both a fun and disciplined educational experience, CombiGuru is ready to excite and inspire the next generation of chefs. This ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ competition is open to students studying a catering course at Level 2 or equivalent.

Those wanting to apply can sign up and participate for free by visiting www.combiguruchallenge.com/en_gb/. Budding applicants have until 31st December 2024 to register for CombiGuru 2025. The Oven Challenge will take place in the first week of April 2025.