The Craft Guild of Chefs launch their search for the Young National Chef of the Year 2018 with a snapchat takeover from Young National Chef of the Year 2017, Ruth Hansom to help encourage young chefs to get involved.

From Sunday, April 2, Ruth will be sharing insights into her working life and will reveal what it’s like to be the most sought-after young chef in the UK. Snapchat followers can watch all the action from Ruth by adding craftguildchefs on Snapchat or using the Snap code in the picture below.

Ruth, said: “After four years of being involved in YNCOTY it really does seem like a family. From the second you make the semi-finals, you are introduced to the amazing organisers and suppliers who help you grow and develop and they have now become good friends of mine. The competition has given me some amazing experiences, like traveling to Madrid and Norway, as well as cooking for Michel Roux JR. It's going to feel so strange not competing this year, which is why I am so excited to be involved in the launch and share my story and experience through Snapchat. It’s great to see the Craft Guild of Chefs engaging with young chefs in this way.”

>>> Read Ruth's latest blog with The Staff Canteen

The overall winners from the British Culinary Federation, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Awards of Excellence, World Skills UK and the Craft Guild of Chefs’ Graduate Award will automatically secure a place in the final. The remaining places will be taken by the six chefs who score the highest at two semi-finals in June.

To get a place in the semi-final, young chefs must have already impressed the judges in one of these competitions or examinations over the last year:

South West Young Chef of the Year

The Master Chefs of Great Britain Young Chef of the Year

UK Skills runner up

Chaine des Rotisseurs Young Chef

Guernsey Young Chef of the Year

Young Scottish Chef of the Year @ Scot hot

Craft Guild of Chefs Graduate Awards 2016 achievers

Junior Chef of Wales bi-annual competition

North West Chef of the Year

Young Grampian Chef of the Year

Young North East Chef of the Year

The semi-finals are to be held at Sheffield College on Tuesday, June 6 and at Le Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London on Tuesday, June 20, running alongside The National Chef of the Year.

David Mulcahy, YNCOTY competition organiser and Vice-President of the Craft Guild of Chefs said: “We’re constantly looking for new ways and channels to promote The National Chef of the Year and Young National Chef of the Year competitions. We need to adapt the way we communicate and talk to young chefs and ensure we’re using the channels they are familiar with themselves. Ruth is a huge ambassador for the competition and someone who has demonstrated you never give up on your goals. She was a hugely popular winner across the industry last year and someone I’m confident we’ll see in the senior competition one day. That’s why we’re so delighted she is officially launching the Young Chef of the Year 2018 competition. Make sure you login to Snapchat and follow her story.”

The Young National Chef of the Year winner will be revealed along with The National Chef of the Year at an awards ceremony following The Restaurant Show on Tuesday, October 3, 2017.

As well as the new Snapchat account, you can keep an eye all the competition action by following @Craft_Guild and #YNCOTY on Twitter and @craftguildofchefs on Instagram.