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 Jan 2026

UK Young Restaurant Team of the Year reveals semi-finalists

By: Edward Waddell

The judging panel, chaired by director of MSK Ingredients Vicky Enderson, has chosen seven teams to progress to the semi-finals. The semi-finals will take place on 11th March 2026 at the Lainston

22nd Jan 2026

Dion Wyn Jones wins National Chef of Wales title after cook-off

By: Edward Waddell

It was third time lucky for the proud Welsh chef, who has previously represented Wales in the junior and senior Culinary Team Wales. His previous bid for glory ended with a silver medal, but this time

21st Jan 2026

Catering student Caitlin Meredith wins Junior Chef of Wales title

By: Edward Waddell

The four finalists were given three hours to prepare, cook and plate a three-course dinner for four people using a minimum of eight Welsh products of geographical importance. Gabi Wilson won a silver

19th Jan 2026

International Salon Culinaire launches new street food competition for 2026

By: Edward Waddell

The Street Food Salon will debut at HRC 2026, taking place from 30th March to 1st April at Excel London as part the renowned programme of live culinary competitions. Competitors will cook live for

More Competitions News

14th Jan 2026

Craft Guild of Chefs unveils new Chairs of Judges for NCOTY & YNCOTY competitions

The Craft Guild of Chefs traditionally refreshes its judges every two years to ensure new leaders are brought in to inject...

07th Jan 2026

Savoy Educational Trust pledges over £21,000 to support Toque d’Or competition

Participating colleges will benefit from prizes awarded at each stage of the competition to drive positive change across the...

05th Jan 2026

Entries open for 2026 Graduate Awards as Sally Abé takes over as Chair of Kitchen examiners

This year brings an exciting development as industry leader Sally Abé, who is head of food at The Bull in Charlbury, will...

05th Jan 2026

Delving deeper into the career of Graduate Awards Achiever Matthew Crane

Matthew Crane’s journey to becoming a Graduate Awards Achiever is a story of persistence and passion. After three attempts...

05th Jan 2026

Dylan Evans talks pushing boundaries and building connections through the Graduate Awards

For Dylan Evans, the Graduate Awards were more than a test of skill. They were an opportunity to grow, network, and step...

05th Jan 2026

Discovering more about the Pastry Graduate Awards Highest Achiever Christi Myburgh

The Graduate Awards celebrate the next generation of culinary talent, challenging young chefs to showcase their skills under...

04th Dec 2025

Craft Guild of Chefs opens entries to 2026 British Culinary Championships

The Salon, managed by Central Bedfordshire College in association with the Craft Guild of Chefs is fast becoming one of the...

02nd Dec 2025

Association of Pastry Chefs launches Dessert of the Year competition

Competitors will be allowed 60 minutes to prepare, cook and present two identical plates of an original dessert suitable for...

01st Dec 2025

Craft Guild of Chefs starts search for National Chef Team of the Year winner

Teams of two will be required to produce eight portions of four distinct small bowl dishes. These dishes should be suitable...

01st Dec 2025

Tilda opens entries to 2026 Chef Team of the Year competition

Tilda is inviting chef teams of two to rise to the challenge of creating a nutritionally balanced, high-protein, high-carb...