The Craft Guild of Chefs has spotlighted the UK’s most promising culinary talent, as ten young chefs have successfully passed the prestigious Graduate Awards following a final exam held at the University of West London.
The results were revealed at a celebratory event hosted at Fortnum & Mason on Monday 15th September, where industry leaders, mentors and supporters gathered to honour the chefs who reached the required standard in either the Kitchen or Pastry Graduate Award.
Founder and organiser Steve Munkley, vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, commented: “The Graduate Awards continue to be a benchmark for excellence amongst young chefs. What stood out this year was the sheer determination and professionalism shown by every finalist.
“Most of our Kitchen Achievers this year have entered previously and just missed out, so they’ve come back having learnt from the experience and on a mission to achieve it. These ambitious chefs are the future of our industry, and it’s a privilege to support their journey.”
In the kitchen exam, the chefs completed a paper test and series of culinary challenges including butchery of a whole chicken, filleting a sea bass, following a recipe to make a chicken chasseur, creating a dish using a mystery basket of ingredients and serving up a Rum Baba with autumn fruit.
This year’s Kitchen Graduate Award was achieved by:
The Highest Achiever in the Kitchen category was Inez Roggema, while the Mentor Award was presented to Elliot Plimmer from the Royal Air Force Club, recognising his outstanding support and guidance throughout the process.
Ben Murphy, chair of kitchen examiners, said: “This year’s group showed incredible teamwork and maturity. The Graduate Awards aren’t about competing against each other; it’s about personal growth, making new connections and learning at every stage.
“It was inspiring to see how the mentor experience helped build confidence and camaraderie among the chefs. I’ve absolutely loved my time as chair of examiners and supporting young talent at such an important time in their career.”
The pastry chefs were asked to complete a number of tasks including a hand dipped Gianduja chocolate, savoury focaccia, choux pastry for tasting and then creating a showpiece of a Croquembouche which celebrated ten years of the Pastry Graduate Award.
In the Pastry category, the following chefs achieved the award:
Christi Myburgh was named Highest Achiever in Pastry, with the Mentor Award going to Emmanuel Bonneau from the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.
Returning as chair of pastry examiners, Sarah Frankland, executive pastry chef at Pennyhill Park, added: “It was clear that every finalist had grown immensely through the process and there was a really calm and positive atmosphere in the kitchen.
“For me, the Graduate Awards is about that attention to detail and really delving deep into the brief. We wanted to see simple, classic pastry skills executed brilliantly and this year’s Achievers really did that. For those who didn’t achieve the award, take on all the feedback, learn from it and if you can, come back even stronger next year.”
The Kitchen Graduates will be invited to compete in the semi-finals of the Young National Chef of the Year in 2026. All achievers will enjoy a tour of the iconic Fortnum & Mason London Store with tea tasting and opportunities for Stages in one of the many restaurants.
The Kitchen Graduates will also embark on a three-day culinary trip to France courtesy of Grande Cuisine whilst Pastry Graduates will be treated to a trip to the Veneto region of Italy organised by NOWAH.
The Graduate Awards are sponsored by The London Meat Co, Oranka, Savoy Educational Trust, Reynolds, Meiko UK, Essential Cuisine, City and Guilds, Robert Welch, James Knight of Mayfair, the Worshipful Company of Cooks, CCE London Ltd, University of West London, Lakeland Dairies, Grande Cuisine, The Caterer, Maldon Salt, NOWAH, Daregal Gourmet, TUGO, HIT Training and Belazu.
16th Sep 2025
24th Jun 2025
24th Apr 2025
31st Mar 2025
