Gravetye Manor’s Jonny Smith wins Young National Chef of the Year 2025

Jonny Smith from Gravetye Manor has been crowned the Young National Chef of the Year (YNCOTY) 2025.

Rosie Welch from L’Enclume took the runner up spot, with Henrock’s Keira Carolan in third place.

The final of the Craft Guild of Chefs’ competition was held yesterday at the University of West London.

Competitors were required to create a three-course pescatarian meal which could be cooked and served within two hours.

Chefs had to start their menu with a filled vegetarian agnolotti pasta dish, containing one ingredient that had been foraged or sourced locally. For the main course, the chefs created a dish using fresh Norwegian halibut served with a Douceur de France butter-based sauce. To finish, candidates served their own interpretation of a filled choux dessert, incorporating fresh fruit with a seasonal Boiron purée.

Smith scooped the title by serving a starter of golden cross goats cheese agnolotti, Gravetye tomatoes and basil, with a main course of Norwegian halibut shiitake and cauliflower and a dessert of choux bun, whipped Opalys ganache and honey poached quince.

Judging this year’s final was chair Russell Bateman alongside Ali Howard, Chantelle Nicholson, Alex Angelogiannis, Phil Howard, Ollie Dabbous, Ruth Hansom-Rigby, Denis Drame, Graham Hornigold, George Blogg and Paul Mannering.

Bateman, who is head chef at the Falcon hotel in Castle Ashby, said: “I’ve enjoyed every second of judging Young National Chef of the Year and am so impressed with the standard of dishes these young chefs produced.

"I set a brief that would allow them to think creatively whilst showcasing their culinary skill level and it has given me such confidence in the future of hospitality. Congratulations to Jonny who created the most consistent menu with beautifully flavoured dishes and a fantastic choice of ingredients.”

David Mulcahy, competition director and food innovation and sustainability director at Sodexo UK and Ireland, added: “Every year the talented young finalists push themselves out of their comfort zone to cook for some of their idols in a bid to take this title.

"It’s the hardest UK culinary competition out there for chefs in this age group as all entrants have either been seeded into it or ‘spotted’ for their talent. We are looking forward to following Jonny’s career over the coming years as he is definitely ‘one-to-watch’.”

As the winner, Smith will receive a pastry stage with Stefan Rose, executive pastry chef at Grantley Hall, thanks to Sodiaal UK. He will also embark on an educational journey to Norway to discover the secrets of Norwegian seafood, organised by Seafood from Norway, while the Worshipful Company of Cooks of London offered a £3,000 prize to spend on culinary development.

The top three will also receive a gastronomic trip to the Les Vergers Boiron factory in Valence, France.

The Craft Guild of Chefs introduced a sustainable element to the competition this year, in association with HIT Training. National hospitality and culinary lead at HIT, Paul Mannering, was given the task of observing food waste throughout the menu planning and cooking process.

He awarded the new food waste award to Henrock’s Keira Carolan, who won a two-day stage with Adam Handling at any of his UK restaurant businesses as well as a one-day workshop or masterclass at any HIT Training Chef academy in the UK.