NACC launches 2026 Care Chef of the Year competition
Open to those working in care homes, day centres, lunch clubs, meals on wheels services, local authorities and other care organisations including hospices, the NACC Care Chef of the Year is the longest standing care catering competition in the UK.
The competition challenges entrants to create a delicious, nutritionally balanced two-course menu - main and dessert -suitable for service users in a care setting. Each contestant will be given 90 minutes to complete the challenge.
The combined food cost for both courses is to be no more than £4.50 per head based on three portions, reflecting the tight budgets care chefs often have to contend with. Entries to the competition will close on Friday 10th April.
Successful entrants from the paper judging stage will progress to the Semi-Finals, held over three days across the North, Midlands, and South. Four finalists from each Semi-Final will then advance to the Final in October 2026.
Entries continue to be sought from all sectors of the care market and both NACC members and non-members are welcome to take part throughout the UK. Steve Munkley, vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, will once again be returning as the head judge for the competition.
Other judges include James Brown, development chef for Unilever Food Solutions; former winner Preston Walker, Knorr ambassador at Unilever Food Solutions; Sophie Murray, governance and regulation manager at Harbour Healthcare; dietitian Alison Smith; Marcus Appleton, the late master at Worshipful Company of Cooks and Peter Kenyon, the master at Worshipful Company of Cooks.
The competition provides opportunity for a member of your team to achieve this accolade and join the exclusive club of title holders to be crowned Care Chef of the Year. Previous winners include Ilona Tomza, Samuel Sewell, Brian Preston, Chris Pickard and Aaron Watson.
The competition is sponsored by headline sponsors Unilever Food Solutions, with The Worshipful Company of Cooks continuing their longstanding sponsorship of the contest. Rational UK is the heavy equipment sponsor, alongside Procurement for Care our procurement sponsor for 2026.