Finalists of the National and Young National Chef of the Year 2019 announced

The finalists for the National and Young National Chef of the Year 2019 have been revealed at Le Cordon Bleu in London.

• Who won National Chef of the Year 2018?

The semi-finals have taken place in both Sheffield and London this year, there were two heats for the Young National Chef of The Year and four heats for the National Chef of the Year.

Vice-President of the Craft Guild of Chefs, David Mulcahy also announced that there will be a new award this year dedicated to Matt Campbell who tragically died after he collapsed during the London Marathon. The Matt Campbell Extra Mile Award will be presented to the person who has gone on a journey through the competition, judges will be watching to see which chefs grow and work with those around them before deciding on the first recipient of the award. 

Who has made the final of Young National Chef of the Year 2019?

There were chefs already seeded ahead of the semi finals and six more made the final after cooking in the heats, here are the chefs who are through to cook in the final:

Jamie Mackinnon, sous chef, The Seafood Ristorante

Henry Wadsworth, chef de partie, Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons

Aaron Middleton, sous chef, The Above Restaurant

Jonathan Ferguson, chef de partie, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie

Thomas Reeves, chef de partie, L'Enclume

Arron Tye, sous chef, Grosvenor Pulford

Luke Turner, L'Enclume

Gilles Varone, Petrus restaurant 

Supatthra Viriphan, Chewton Glen

The final place will be the winner of the Academy of Culinary Arts Awards of Excellence which will be announced in July.

Who has made the final of National Chef of the Year 2019?

Here are the chefs who are through to cook in the final:

Derek Johnstone, head chef, Borthwick Castle

George Blogg, head chef, Gravetye Manor

Glenn Evans, head of food, Las Iguanas

Liam Fauchard-Newman, senior sous chef, Fenchurch

Martin Frickel, senior sous chef, The Forestside

David Nielson, senior chef de partie, Number One at the Balmoral

Nick Smith, head chef, Harbour and Jones Ashurst

Kuba Winkowski, head chef, The Feathered Nest Inn

Stefan Sewell, Defence Chef Instructor, CSCAT

Thomas Westerland, head chef, Lucknam Park 

Chair of judges, Gary Jones, executive chef from Belmond Le Manoir said: “What a week it’s been for the National Chef of the Year competition. Some of the cooking has been exceptional which made it a challenge for the judges to whittle 40 chefs down to just ten. What really stood out for me was how much the finalists listened to the brief this year and focused on the sourcing of their ingredients, considered seasonality when planning their menus, as well as showcasing their creativity and innovation. It’s set to be one of our most exciting finals yet and I can’t wait to judge it in October.”