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

26th Mar 2026

Graduate Awards extend entry deadline to increase opportunity for young chefs

By: Edward Waddell

Entries will now close on Tuesday 7th April 2026, giving kitchens across the UK an extra week to encourage younger members of their teams to take part. Further information and entry details can be

24th Mar 2026

National Chef of the Year extends entry deadline following demand from chefs

By: Edward Waddell

The extension until midnight on Monday 20th April 2026 not only supports chefs who have already begun working on their menus but also opens the door for those who have not yet started an entry, giving

17th Mar 2026

Nestlé Professional reveals 12 finalists for 2026 Toque d’Or competition

By: Edward Waddell

The competition is supported by industry partners including Russums and Savoy Educational Trust, who help champion the development of emerging talent across the hospitality sector. Led by chef Kate

17th Mar 2026

UK Young Restaurant Team of the Year reveals 5 finalists

By: Edward Waddell

The road to restaurant excellence reached a ‘thrilling milestone’ at Lainston House in Winchester, where the semi-final of the UK Young Restaurant Team of the Year 2026 unfolded in ‘spectacular

More Competitions News

30th Sep 2020

Edwin Kuk wins Young National Chef of the Year final

The focus for this year’s competition was on sustainability and chefs had to incorporate ingredients from the Knorr Future 50...

29th Sep 2020

Services provider Compass announced as headline sponsor 2021 International Salon Culinaire

Nick Vadis, culinary director at Compass UK & Ireland, said he was thrilled to be partnering with Salon Culinaire, which...

29th Sep 2020

Student Watercress Challenge opens for entry

To enter chefs must create a dish using watercress and post a picture with a description on social media using...

16th Sep 2020

Colleges triumph in online version of Zest Quest Asia Summer Challenge

First prize went to Ryan Plummer of Colchester Institute for his King Prawn Tempura Starter served with a mango, red onion...

15th Sep 2020

Students and apprentices honoured in Toque d’Or Digital 2020 Awards

In a live virtual awards ceremony hosted on YouTube, the awards took place on Friday, September 11th and were watched by...

24th Aug 2020

Wales invited to host prestigious event for world’s top chefs next year

The Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) and its partners, the International Convention Centre (ICC) Wales, the Celtic Manor...

14th Aug 2020

Young Chef Young Waiter China/ South East Asia launches in the UK

The Young Chef Young Waiter competition aims to uncover the best young talent in the industry and help equip them with...

07th Aug 2020

Craft Guild of Chefs names ten finalists for NCOTY

The ten chefs will now compete for the 2021 NCOTY crown in a cook-off at Le Cordon Bleu in September. David Mulcahy...

05th Aug 2020

Plans progressing well for the Graduate Awards 2020

Munkley was determined to ensure young chefs have the opportunity to develop their skills and promote their talent, despite...

05th Jun 2020

Finalists for The Young National Chef of the Year revealed

Due to the ongoing situation with Covid19, the selection process has had to be tweaked for this year. Rather than some of the...