Mark Birchall, chef patron at Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms, has been named as the Chair of Judges for the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year competition.

The Craft Guild of Chefs traditionally refreshes its judges every two years to ensure new leaders are brought in to inject different ideas and energy into the brief and experience.

New for 2026 Cherish Finden will oversee the dessert judging of both competitions. Finden will use her extensive knowledge of pastry and judging culinary competitions at the highest level having worked on Channel 4’s Bake Off: The Professionals since 2016.

The trio will work closely with the competition director, David Mulcahy to drive these competitions forward and maintain the strong heritage the Craft Guild of Chefs has built up over the last five decades.

David Mulcahy, competition director and vice-president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, said: “I’ve been asked countless times who the new chairs would be, so it’s exciting to finally reveal these outstanding names. We are already working hard to create an enticing brief that will allow competitors to show us their own style and skill whilst bringing in elements Mark and Tom are truly passionate about.

“Matt Abé and Russell Bateman have done an incredible job for us over the last two years, bringing their own personal touches to the competition and so I want to take this opportunity to thank them both again for giving up so much of their own time to inspire others.”

Two live semi-finals will also be held in the summer in London and Sheffield. This is the first time this stage has been competed as a cook-off since before the pandemic, but the Guild was keen to bring back what has always been a popular element of the competition.

Entries for National Chef of the Year open on Tuesday 10th February 2026, with an eight-week window for competitors to design their menus. Birchall’s full brief will be published on the National Chef of the Year website. Chefs are encouraged to register early and review the criteria thoroughly.

Birchall added: “To be the next Chair of judges for National Chef of the Year is really humbling. I’m passionate about inspiring first-time entrants and encouraging previous competitors to return and hopefully my experience of judging and the work I’ve done in my own restaurants, and the wider industry will help inspire chefs to get involved. Competitions like this are so important for progression, increasing confidence and helping chefs to grow within their team so I’d recommend it to any ambitious chef looking for a challenge in 2026.”

For more details and to register in National Chef of the Year next month visit: www.nationalchefoftheyear.co.uk