A dozen young chefs to compete for national culinary title
A special delivery has been landing at the homes or workplaces of 12 talented young chefs who put forward menus for the Young National Chef of the Year (YNCOTY) title.
The exclusive YNCOTY chef's jacket confirmed they had done enough to impress judges and earn one of the most sought-after spots in the competition final, set to take place on Tuesday, 8 October.
At the cook-off, competitors will be given two hours to create a three-course meal. They must serve up a suitably garnished filled vegetarian agnolotti pasta starter; one ingredient within the dish must have been foraged or locally sourced. For the main course, participants will create a dish using fresh Norwegian halibut served with a Douceur de France butter-based sauce, suitable for a pescatarian guest.
To finish the menu, candidates will create their own interpretation of a filled choux dessert. The dish should incorporate fresh fruit with a complementary seasonal purée of their choice.
Nathan Cooper, senior chef de partie, Goldman Sachs, BaxterStorey, was seeded straight to the final after being the highest achiever in both the Graduate Awards and the kitchen category of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Annual Awards for Excellence.
The 2024 finalist line-up also includes:
- Callum Barbour, senior chef de partie, The Star Inn, Harome
- Henry Pratt, senior chef de partie, Northcote
- Jacob Gosselin, junior sous chef, The Longueville Manor Hotel, Jersey
- Jonny Smith, senior chef de partie, Gravetye Manor, Sussex
- Keaton Cooper, chef de partie, The Angel at Hetton
- Keira Carolan, demi chef de partie, Henrock, Windermere
- Lewis Nicholas, junior sous chef, Lympstone Manor, Devon
- Matt Robinson, sous chef, Eleanore, Edinburgh
- Nathan Johnson, junior sous chef, Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, Bath
- Reuben Flatman, demi chef de partie, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
- Rosie Welch, chef de partie, L'Enclume, Cartmel
In September, the chefs will attend the popular mentor experience at Waitrose Food Innovation Studio, where they will attend masterclasses, learn more about sponsor ingredients and decide which crockery their dishes will be served on.
Russell Bateman, chair of judges and head chef at The Falcon in Castle Ashby, comments: "I've not judged this particular stage of the YNCOTY competition before, and I was really impressed with the standard. There was some intelligent and innovative cooking on display from these young chefs and I know we are going to have our work cut out in finding the winner. I'd encourage the chefs to use the next few months to listen to feedback, refine their dishes and practise in a variety of situations beforehand. As a former winner of the senior competition, I know that a new environment and the time limit pushes you out of your comfort zone but opportunities like this don't come along very often, so give it everything you have."
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