National Chef of the Year 2025 semi-finalists unveiled

Competitors looking to reach the semi-finals were required to produce a three-course menu designed to reflect the season in which the final will take place (October), with the judges, led by chef Matt Abé, once again praising the overall standard of entries this year.

“Personally, I was delighted to see a real mix of new entrants giving the title a go and former competitors coming back even stronger than in previous years,” says Abé, who became chair of judges last year.

“During the deliberation, every judge praised the high standard of entries this year with a particular focus around innovation and incredible culinary skills.

“Those who made the top forty have really delved into the detail of the brief and carefully considered every element from seasonality to skill and flavour to food waste.

“This has resulted in a high number of dishes that I truly hope to be able to taste in the final.”

All entries were judged anonymously with competitor names and places of work hidden prior to the experts seeing each entry.

There are separate judging teams for starter, main course and dessert, and another team viewing the whole menu for overall balance.

“The competitors haven’t made it easy for us once again and we really appreciate the huge amount of work that goes into every single entry,” adds David Mulcahy, competition director and vice-president of the Craft Guild of Chefs.

“For those who don’t make it through, ask for feedback, learn from the experience, and know that the standard in this competition is incredibly high.

“Every single competitor held their own.”

For the next stage of the competition, chefs will be challenged with making a hot or cold pre-dessert.

This dish should focus on a chef’s own choice of seasonal fruit or vegetable and may be sweet or have a savoury twist.

It should be inspired by their own culinary journey and reflect their personality and interpretation.

Chefs are asked to consider the food story, dish balance, avoidance of waste and how ingredients are utilised to champion the main element.

Ten chefs will then go head-to-head at the grand final at the University of West London on 7 October before the winner is revealed at an awards evening at The Hippodrome Casino in London’s Leicester Square.

Last year, the competition was won by Orry Shand, executive chef at Entier Ltd, Scotland’s largest independent catering company.

Past winners also include David Everitt-Matthias, Simon Hulstone, Luke Selby, and Gordon Ramsay.