Tom Shepherd, owner of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd based in Staffordshire, has been announced as the Chair of Judges for the Young 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.”

Young National Chef of the Year will continue to be via invitation for the semi-final stage which will also be a cook-off to find this year’s finalists.

Shepherd commented: “Chairing Young National Chef of the Year is a true honour. Early in my career, I was fortunate to work with some of the UK’s most respected chefs and these experiences shaped my approach to cookery.

“That’s why I recognise the importance of nurturing and celebrating young talent. Giving back to the industry through such a prestigious competition is something I’m really looking forward to working on especially alongside Mark and Cherish who I know will also have a big impact on these events.”

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