He was joined on stage by NCOTY competition director David Mulcahy and previous NCOTY winner Tom Swaby. Young’s winning main course was Dry Aged Beef Fillet, Glazed Tongue, Beef Fat Onion, Potato and Truffle.

Speaking about what he has been up to since the competition, Young stated it had been a ‘hectic’ and ‘busy’ time for him as well as pointing out he was excited for the numerous prizes he will receive throughout the year.

He will receive a host of exclusive prizes worth over £15,000, including an ‘unforgettable’ trip to Australia from competition sponsor Thomas Foods International. Young added he was looking forward to the trip and making connections whilst he was there.

New for 2025, Young will launch his own Dishpatch meal kit, sold alongside the likes of Michel Roux, Angela Hartnett and previous NCOTY chair of judges Paul Ainsworth.

Young, who is head chef at The Torridon, said the competition allowed him to showcase what they are doing with their menus. Mulcahy pointed out that the last three winners were all working in Scotland when they won the competition.

Mulcahy described the NCOTY competition as ‘one of the most prestigious competitions in the UK’, which has been going for 53 years. Household names such as Gordon Ramsay have previously won it and Mulcahy said Young was following in his ‘amazing’ footsteps.

He added that the competition is open to any professional chef with the entrants coming from a variety of sectors. This was illustrated by Jethro Lawrence from care meals provider Apetito who reached the final of the competition.

Young noted that it was his fourth attempt to win the competition and praised the great team around him at The Torridon who helped give him time off to practice his three course meal for the competition.

He is one of a limited number of chefs to have won both the Young National Chef of the Year competition as well as the National Chef of the Year competition. Young said he used ox tongue in the winning dish as it was versatile and underutilised by chefs.

Swaby added that his first appearance in the competition didn’t go to plan but with the mentoring and experience of having entered first time round helped him to go onto victory at the second attempt. He said that competitors receive great support before, during and after the competition from sponsors, judges and fellow competitors.

Mulcahy said he had his first planning meeting recently about the 2026 edition of the competition. He told the audience that the competition would officially launch next year with a new head judge and the live semi-finals returning for the first time in a few years. 

Elsewhere at the Catering Innovation Show there were cooking demonstrations from several high profile chefs including Spencer Metzger, Jean Delport, Kirk Hawoth, Simon Rogan and Clare Smyth.

Metzger, who opened Row on 5 in Saville Row with Jason Atherton, kicked-off the cooking demonstrations by creating a lobster dish. In 2025 Row on 5 celebrated its first Michelin star and during the demonstration Metzger compared the experience there to a theatre performance as there were so many moving parts.

Delport is the chef behind the Michelin starred Restaurant Interlude at Leonardslee Gardens in West Sussex, which also has a green Michelin star for sustainability. He talked about the importance of offering an ‘exceptional and eco-conscious’ dining experience. Young National Chef of the Year winner Jonny Smith assisted the demonstration.

Haworth, who was the first plant-based chef to win a Michelin star, spoke about delivering ‘incredible flavours' to give guests an ‘unforgettable experience’. With just five staff in service at a time, his restaurant Plates serves 25 people for lunch and 44 for dinner.

Rogan’s L’Enclume became the first rural restaurant in the UK to receive three Michelin stars. He has ten restaurants across the world in countries such as Hong Kong, Thailand and Malta. Whilst doing his cooking demonstration he spoke about the importance of training the next generation of chefs.

Smyth, who won the 2025 Craft Guild of Chefs Special Award, finished the cooking demonstrations by making a seabass dish. She spoke about the Bocuse d’Or competition and encouraged young chefs (aged 21 years-old or younger) to apply to be the UK’s commis chef.