Organisers of the biggest chef competition in the UK are inviting Britain’s rising culinary stars to step up to the plate and enter The National Chef of The Year 2013. The competition is recognised as the annual search for a UK chef that stands out from the crowd in terms of their ‘wow factor’, skill and passion, following in the footsteps of Gordon Ramsay, Simon Hulstone, Mark Sargeant and Frederick Forster.
This year’s victor will be announced at an awards ceremony and VIP dinner following a live competition final at The Restaurant Show in London on Tuesday 8 October.
As well as national acclaim, those that take the title walk away with an impressive haul of prizes, with last year’s winner, Alyn Williams, winning cash, an exclusive study trip with dinner at a 3-starred Michelin restaurant in France, a second study trip to Norway, master classes with industry greats and specialist chef’s products and equipment.
Diversity on all levels
Since 2010, one of the key objectives of the prestigious competition has been to celebrate the multicultural nature of the UK, with The National Chef of The Year now divided up into three categories, Asian / Oriental, Modern British / European and Rest of the World.
David Mulcahy, organiser of the competition and vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, said they were particularly keen to embrace diversity on all levels this year:
“We’d like to see chefs from all different backgrounds enter the competition and have a fantastic team of ambassadors to help achieve this aim. Joining chairman of judges Philip Howard, we have Angela Hartnett, chef proprietor of Murano, Michelin-starred Atul Kochhar and myself, who all hope to make this year’s competition the best one yet.”
Competition process
The initial paper judging of the entries takes place on 13 May, followed by semi-finals at Sheffield College on 19 June and the University of West London on 2 and 3 July.
A mentor day for finalists, which invites suppliers to showcase ingredients in a farmer’s market-style exhibition and includes workshops, key note speeches and words of wisdom from organisers, chef judges and past competitors, will then be held on 20 September.
Advancing through the various stages of the competition requires a well thought out menu, with particular attention paid to authenticity, sourcing, seasonality, timing and wastage while creating a menu that offers maximum flavour, texture, balance and style.
Finalists also have to create a dish from a mystery basket, with the list of seasonal produce from land and sea presented as an order form to be completed and returned to competition organisers before the competition climax.
How to enter
Firstly, chefs must get their ideas down on paper for a three-course lunch menu for four people before Friday, April 19th. From the paper judging, 40 successful entrants will be invited to compete in the semi-finals, with eight chosen to go on to the final.
To apply, visit the Craft Guild of Chefs and download an application form. For further information, contact Clair Bowman on 01293 610 329.