The Craft Guild of Chefs

The Craft Guild of Chefs Established in 1885 under its former name of the Cookery and Food Association. No other association boasts such a broad and experienced membership.

Our members come from all aspects of the foodservice and hospitality sectors working in a wide variety of positions from students and trainees to top management.

Today, some of the UK's most accomplished chefs and pastry experts, led by Chair of Judges Tom Shepherd, will put the ne...
06/10/2026

Today, some of the UK's most accomplished chefs and pastry experts, led by Chair of Judges Tom Shepherd, will put the next generation of culinary talent through their paces in the Young National Chef of the Year final.

Joining Tom on the judging panel are Ben Murphy, Danny Young, Simon Hulstone, James Golding, Paul Askew, Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Jean Delport and Kenny Atkinson, alongside Eric Bediat from Le Cordon Bleu London. The finalists will also have their pastry skills assessed by an outstanding line-up of experts including Michael Kwan, Martin Chiffers, Mark Perkins and Benoit Blin.

With such an experienced panel bringing expertise from across the hospitality industry, the finalists have an exciting challenge ahead as they compete for one of the most prestigious titles for young chefs in the UK.

As we prepare for tomorrow's National Chef of the Year final, we're proud to reveal the judging panel that will oversee ...
05/10/2026

As we prepare for tomorrow's National Chef of the Year final, we're proud to reveal the judging panel that will oversee the competition. Once again, some of the most respected and influential names in hospitality will come together to help decide who will be crowned the next National Chef of the Year.

Leading the line-up is Mark Birchall and he will be joined by Phil Howard, Matt Abé, Aktar Islam, Rafa Cagali, Tony Parkin, Adam Smith, Paul Foster and Gary Jones. Flying the flag as former NCOTY winners will be Luke Selby, Orry Shand and Hayden Groves, all of whom have experienced first-hand the pressure and prestige of competing for the title.

The pastry judging panel is equally impressive, led by internationally renowned pastry consultant Cherish Finden and supported by Emmanuel Bonneau of Mandarin Oriental, Circle Wong of L’Ecole Valrhona and Jean Francois Favy from Le Cordon Bleu London.

Before the NCOTY and YNCOTY competitions begin, we’re looking back at a very special part of the National Chef of the Ye...
05/10/2026

Before the NCOTY and YNCOTY competitions begin, we’re looking back at a very special part of the National Chef of the Year and Young National Chef of the Year journey. Our mentor day at Waitrose Food Innovation Studio brought finalists together to learn from some of the industry’s most respected chefs, gain insight from the judges and spend time getting to know the talented competitors they’ll soon be standing alongside in the kitchens at Le Cordon Bleu London.

Tomorrow, the chefs take their places at their stations and put months of preparation to the test.

05/10/2026

As proud partners of Young National Chef of the Year, and .global would like to wish all finalists the very best of luck for this week’s final. Reaching this stage is a huge achievement and a reflection of the talent each chef has shown throughout the competition. We can’t wait to see what each chef creates at .

Our final spotlight for Young National Chef of the Year is on Callum Davidson who works at The Georgian at Harrods. Star...
04/10/2026

Our final spotlight for Young National Chef of the Year is on Callum Davidson who works at The Georgian at Harrods.

Starting out in a local pub kitchen after baking with his grandmother as a child, Callum’s potential was spotted at age 16 by his mentor Adam Bateman. A previous winner of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Young Chef of the Year, he has gained crucial experience staging across London’s top five-star hotels. Callum hopes his ability to stay calm under pressure, together with his preparation, resilience and attention to detail will serve him well in the final.

Make sure you check out his full bio on the YNCOTY website.

04/10/2026

As partners of National Chef of the Year, Angus Pure and Essential Cuisine would like to wish all finalists the very best of luck for next week’s final. Months of preparation and hard work have led to this moment. We can’t wait to see the skill on display in the Le Cordon Bleu kitchens on Tuesday.

Sending a shout out to Toby Whitehead who works at Woven by Adam Smith and will be competing in next week’s Young Nation...
03/10/2026

Sending a shout out to Toby Whitehead who works at Woven by Adam Smith and will be competing in next week’s Young National Chef of the Year final.

Having spent nine years honing his craft working for Adam Smith, Toby’s career has also been enriched by stints at Ynyshir and Stockholm’s three-Michelin-starred Frantzén. His menu and culinary approach are influenced by personal passion and crafting dishes that he genuinely loves to eat. With world-class mentorship behind him, Toby has learnt what it takes to compete and feels that his creativity is one of his greatest strengths going into the final.

Read more about Toby’s career on the YNCOTY website.

With just a few days to go until the Young National Chef of the Year final, Zach Shaw from The Peat Inn is getting ready...
03/10/2026

With just a few days to go until the Young National Chef of the Year final, Zach Shaw from The Peat Inn is getting ready to impress the judges.

Zach’s passion for food started in childhood in his family kitchen, and his journey began at East Riding College, before moving on and evolving his skills at Michelin-starred kitchens in Washington, D.C. With a love of local foraging and clean, elegant flavour profiles, he focuses on letting quality ingredients speak for themselves, while creating harmony across every dish. Heading into the final, Zach is set to showcase technical versatility and a menu that highlights some of the best of seasonal Scottish produce.

Take a look at his full bio on the YNCOTY website.

With just a few days to go until the Young National Chef of the Year final, Zach Shaw from The Peat Inn is getting ready...
02/10/2026

With just a few days to go until the Young National Chef of the Year final, Zach Shaw from The Peat Inn is getting ready to impress the judges.

Zach’s passion for food started in childhood in his family kitchen, and his journey began at East Riding College, before moving on and evolving his skills at Michelin-starred kitchens in Washington, D.C. With a love of local foraging and clean, elegant flavour profiles, he focuses on letting quality ingredients speak for themselves, while creating harmony across every dish. Heading into the final, Zach is set to showcase technical versatility and a menu that highlights some of the best of seasonal Scottish produce.

Take a look at his full bio on the YNCOTY website. Link in comments.

In just a few days, the finalists of National Chef of the Year and Young National Chef of the Year will step back into o...
02/10/2026

In just a few days, the finalists of National Chef of the Year and Young National Chef of the Year will step back into one of the most prestigious culinary institutions in the world as the finals return to Le Cordon Bleu London.

This is a venue known for world-class culinary training, making it a perfect setting for some of the UK’s most talented chefs to put their skills to the test.

We can’t wait to see the finalists take their place in these kitchens and would like to thank the team at Le Cordon Bleu for all their support.

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