The Forward with Marcus Wareing programme was developed by Compass Group UK & Ireland to teach the next generation of chefs the skills needed to become tomorrow’s leaders. Since 2021 it has graduated 63 senior chefs, a quarter of whom are female.

Also on the 2025 winners list was Eastleigh College who won the Catering College Award, Matt Lord from ESS who emerged victorious in the Chef of the Year category and Petty Officer Joe Whitlock who secured the Armed Forces Caterer of the Year accolade.

The hospitality and catering department at Eastleigh College had a ‘truly exceptional’ 2024, with an unprecedented number of collaborations with local restaurants and industry bodies, and an incredible 100% student retention rate across all Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 courses.

Matt led on creating over 400 new recipes for an innovative new menu for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) that was launched to deliver more choice, better value and boost wellbeing. He dedicates hours of his own time to coach young chefs and is a judge and mentor for Springboard FutureChef.

Despite huge constraints, including defective equipment and staffing shortages over the last 12 months, Petty Officer Whitlock’s perseverance and talent has shone through. It has seen him oversee dynamic menu changes and lead the catering team for the first overnight stay by a British prime minister on a warship in nearly 70 years.

The full list of winners:

• Armed Forces Caterer of the Year Award (sponsored by Ecolog): Petty Officer Joe Whitlock
• Care Catering Award (sponsored by Cereal Partners): Care UK
• Catering College Award (sponsored by AroundNoon): Eastleigh College
• Catering Manager of the Year Award (sponsored by Rational): Joanne Fitzgerald - Northamptonshire Health Care Trust
• Chef of the Year Award (sponsored by Unox): Matt Lord – ESS
• Contract Caterer of the Year Award (sponsored by Lockhart Catering Equipment): Dolce
• Education Catering Award (sponsored by Premier Foods): Nourish Contract Catering Ltd
• Health and Nutrition Award (sponsored by Bidfood): Shire Services
• Hospital Catering Award (sponsored by Hobart Service): Simply Serve Ltd - Yeovil District Hospital
• Innovation Award (sponsored by Carlsberg Britvic): Reboot Café, Queen’s University Belfast
• Marketing Award (sponsored by Wafflemeister): Shire Services
• Prison Catering Award (sponsored by Winterhalter): Morag Hopkins & HMP Haverigg Catering Team
• Special Contribution Award (sponsored by Middleton Foods): Mathieu Eke - Simply Serve Ltd
• Sustainability Award (sponsored by Panasonic): Argyll and Bute Council
• Team of the Year Award (sponsored by Essential Cuisine): Health & Independent Living Support (HILS)
• Training and Apprenticeship Award (sponsored by Brakes): Forward with Marcus Wareing Training Programme
• University Catering Award (sponsored by TUCO Foundation): University of Southampton Catering Department
• Unsung Hero Award (sponsored by Nisbets): Kirsty Rafferty – Sodexo
• Lifetime Achievement Award (sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions): Philip Shelley