Part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, the event is a highlight of the Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) show at ExCeL London. Compass chefs achieved one Best Overall Plate, three Best in Class awards, four gold, 19 silver, 26 bronze and 12 certificates of merit.

Established in 1902, the competition has a rich history of being one the world’s top chef competitions, with a reputation for launching emerging culinary talents into the UK hospitality industry. Some of the highlights of the competition include:

• Terrie McBride from Eurest received gold for her Raised Pie, plus silver and Best in Class for decorated cup-cakes.
• David Bryant from Restaurant Associates took home a gold, Best in Class and Best Overall Plate Exhibit for his main course plate as well as a bronze in the restaurant fish course plates.
• Aisha Joel from Restaurant Associates was awarded bronze for her afternoon teas as well as silver and Best in Class for contemporary plated dessert.
• Andy Chan from Foodbuy Group, took gold in the lamb challenge 2026.
• James Shaw from Dine Contract Catering was awarded silver in the Alaskan seafood masters and in partnership with Katie Forsyth who got a silver in the mystery basket grand prix.

Nick Vadis, culinary director at Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: “International Salon Culinaire is always a brilliant event and we were proud to be represented by some of our incredible talent, as well as returning as headline sponsor. Salon Culinaire provides an ideal opportunity for Chefs to challenge themselves while showcasing their skills and developing new ones in the process.

“It was great to see some of our Chefs returning to the event with renewed confidence, along with others experiencing the rush of the event for the first time. The results were phenomenal. Well done to all those who competed and a huge congratulations to our award winners.”