Ten Young National Chef of the Year finalists revealed

The Young National Chef of the Year (YNCOTY) finalists have been announced ahead of the final stage of the competition in October.

To impress the judges the 10 finalists had to create a three-course menu that centred around ‘British-themed dishes’ with a twist.

They will serve their menu during a final at Le Cordon Bleu, which will be live-screened for the industry to watch on 21 October.

The 10 chefs competing in the final are:

• Matt Nicholls, sous chef, Cheal's of Henley, Warwickshire
• Daniel Cornish, senior chef de partie, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxfordshire
• Bethany Disley-Jones, junior sous pastry, the Art School Restaurant, Liverpool
• Stephen Naylor, junior sous chef, Restaurant Story, London
• Joshua Rooney, chef de partie, Paul Ainsworth at No 6, Cornwall
• Keaton Cooper, commis chef, the Angel at Hetton, Skipton
• Robert McCreery Breen, chef de partie, Paul Ainsworth at No 6, Cornwall
• Sagar Massey, sous chef, Mar Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa Resort, Bishopton
• Ieuan Andrew Davies, chef de partie, Castle Inn, Wiltshire
• Owen Connell, chef de partie, Hillgate Quays, Newcastle

For the first course chefs will create a modern vegetarian or vegan version of a classic scotch broth. The main course will be a take on fish and chips using a prime fillet of haddock or cod, while desserts are an interpretation of a classic crumble.

Judging the final will be Hrishikesh Desai, executive chef at Gilpin Hotel and Lake House; Chanetelle Nicholson, chef-patron at Tredwells; Lisa Goodwin-Allen, executive chef at Northcote Manor; Julie Walsh, head pastry chef lecturer at Le Cordon Bleu; George Blogg, executive head chef at Gravetye Manor; Adam Handling, chef-owner of Adam Handling Restaurant Group; and chef Alyn Williams.

Desai, who is chair of judges, said: “Having scrutinised all the entries with my fellow judges, we unanimously agreed that the 10 finalists who are going to battle for the title had put in huge amounts of effort, thought outside the box and made judging very difficult.

“I personally think this will go down to the wire because all the finalists are incredibly talented chefs who are working with equally talented mentors.”

Organiser of YNCOTY David Mulcahy added: “It’s been another tough year for our industry, but YNCOTY is a true success story to come out of it. These finalists have all risen to the challenge and created stunning menus that really reflect the theme of British classics with a twist.”

Last year's YNCOTY winner was Edwin Kuk (pictured), junior sous chef at the Art School restaurant in Liverpool.

The 12 National Chef of the Year 2022 finalists were revealed earlier this month, ahead of the final on 21 October.