Welcome to Competitions

The Craft Guild of Chefs is proud to celebrate with them.

Here you will find everything you need to know about the various culinary competitions that take place throughout the year - everything from the flagship National Chef of the Year contest through to the specialist Tilda Chef of the Year Competition.

This section will reveal where each is taking place, how you can get involved and those all important winners and runners up.

Current competitions:

Previous competitions:

Latest Competition News

31st Jul 2025

10 chefs in running for National Chef of the Year culinary title

By: Edward Waddell

With an exceptionally high standard of entries this year, the competition has once again proven why it remains the title every ambitious chef aspires to win. From creativity and technical skill to

21st Jul 2025

Sixteen young chefs lined up for Le Cordon Bleu London Scholarship final

By: Edward Waddell

A spokesman said that following ‘incredibly competitive semi-finals’, 32 candidates were whittled down to just 16 finalists. “The level of passion for the culinary arts demonstrated by the semi

11th Jul 2025

Rebecca Britton claims Best in Show accolade at 2025 Finishing Touches

By: Edward Waddell

Finishing Touches, which is sponsored by McDougalls, is a competition organised by LACA in association with the Craft Guild of Chefs. The competition is aimed at staff employed in any aspect of

10th Jul 2025

Kraft Heinz launches its first-ever culinary competition with James Cochran

By: Edward Waddell

The competition will give five chefs the chance to receive one-on-one mentorship from Cochran, developing their business acumen and culinary skill before competing in a two-round cook-off. The overall

More Competitions News

28th Oct 2022

South West Chef Competition returns after two-year break

The competition was established 19 years ago and is the only culinary competition in the UK that recognises professional...

26th Oct 2022

Halifax chef going for gold at Skills Olympics in Switzerland

Ash is up against competitors from 31 other countries in the WorldSkills Cooking final in Lucerne from 23-26 October. Ash won...

18th Oct 2022

S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy announces 2022 winner

Marcus, who beat eight other finalists, will be participating in the Grand Finale that will take place in Milan in 2023. The...

13th Oct 2022

Cyrus & Pervin Todiwala launch Zest Quest Asia 2023

Now on its ninth year, the competition is open to all full-time catering students with permanent residency in the UK. There...

27th Sep 2022

Eight young chefs achieve the Graduate Award in 20th anniversary year

The announcement was made at a prestigious 20th anniversary lunch at The Royal Lancaster Hotel in London in front of the...

27th Sep 2022

Mutti’s Golden Tomato Cook Competition returns

The overall winner will not only pick up the culinary award, but they will also receive an ‘incredible prize’ of a trip to...

27th Sep 2022

Lead judge highlights benefits of entering Country Range Student Chef Challenge

Basten believes competitions such as the Country Range Student Chef Challenge are vital for aspiring chefs as they not only...

14th Sep 2022

An update on National Chef of the Year and Young National Chef of the Year

Given the national importance and impact of the state funeral on Monday 19th September, we have postponed the cook-off and...

08th Sep 2022

Celebrity chef Shaun Rankin is new Springboard FutureChef champion

He will be working as a mentor alongside other hospitality industry heavyweights, including Jean-Christophe Novelli, Chris...

26th Aug 2022

Registration opens for Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2023

Run in collaboration with the Craft Guild of Chefs, who provide competition-standard judging and vital feedback to the...