Devine, who is sous chef at Deanes Eipic, triumphed in the UK’s most prestigious culinary competition with a winning menu featuring Tees Valley Rib of Beef and a soft centered chocolate & coffee tart.

Taking a close second was Adam Thomason of Deloitte, Restaurant Associates and in third place was Charles Smith of Alyn Williams at The Mayfair.

Delighted with his win, James Devine commented: “I’m honoured, I never expected to win or to come this far. Today went well for me, I kept calm and was pleased with the way all my dishes came out. Each dish was something I’d happily eat or serve up. Right now, I feel humbled and very excited at the same time.”

As the winner, James Devine is now part of the National Chef of the Year 'Hall of Fame', which represents culinary excellence and offers the chance to meet and work with some of the most exciting industry names.

He also wins a range of special prizes including a once-in-a-lifetime trip to one of the world’s top restaurants, stagiaire opportunities, equipment from sponsors and chocolate workshops. Best of all, having won the life-changing title, James now has the chance to follow in the footsteps of some the country’s most successful chefs, such as Alyn Williams, Gordon Ramsay and Mark Sargeant who have all previously held the title.

This year’s competition was one of the toughest yet, with an incredible list of high profile judges to impress, including Daniel Doherty - group executive chef for Duck & Waffle Restaurants, Gary Jones - executive head chef at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Claude Bosi - chef patron at Hibiscus and many more.

David Mulcahy, the competition organiser and vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, said: “What an amazing final we’ve just witnessed. Looking at the chefs lined-up before it kicked off, I knew it was going to be close but these ten chefs gave the judges a difficult task. This year’s basket of ingredients was a real challenge and meant that we saw some amazing dishes. Today’s winner presented an excellent starter, main course and dessert.

"Congratulations to James. He thoroughly deserved to take this title and this will be a career-defining and life-changing moment for him. The NCOTY competition began back in January so over the last nine months all ten finalists have had one clear goal in mind…winning the most prestigious title in the UK culinary calendar.”

Clare Smyth MBE, chairman of judges, added: “After the level of cooking I’ve witnessed this afternoon, I couldn’t be more honoured to be Chair of judges for NCOTY. All finalists rose to the challenge and delivered delicious plates of food.

"It’s not easy cooking for these judges, many of whom are our finalists’ idols, but it’s so important to remain calm and hold your nerve. Although it was a tough decision, we had a clear winner in the end and some really stand out dishes that could be served up in any restaurant.”

All of the finalists and winners celebrated their achievements in a ceremony at The Restaurant Show on Tuesday 4^th October, with judges and sponsors on hand to offer their congratulations.

For more information on the competition and details on the entry process, visit the new National Chef of the Year website at www.nationalchefoftheyear.co.uk.