Pub chefs in National Chef of Year semi-final

The competition is organised by the Craft Guild of Chefs.

Paul Cunliffe, chef/patron, of the Dunsforth Public House & Dining, Lower Dunsforth, near Boroughbridge, Yorkshire; Jack O’Sullivan, sous chef at the Angel Inn at Hetton, north Yorkshire and Gabor Pusztaidoc, head chef, at the Pack Horse Inn, Ellingham, Northumberland are in the semi-finals following a paper judging.

They will now compete in heats at Sheffield College on Thursday, 11 June or at Le Cordon Bleu cookery school in London on Wednesday, 24 June.

The top scoring chefs from both heats will go on to compete in the National Chef of the Year final at The Restaurant Show on Tuesday, 6 October at Olympia, London. This year, the brief is to create an innovative menu for four people, focusing on technical skills, seasonality and sustainably sourced ingredients. 

Mentor day​

This year all the finalists will have the opportunity to work with a mentor to help them achieve the best result possible in the final.  The mentoring panel is made up of top chefs from across the UK, including previous winners of the title.

The Mentor Day is designed to focus the minds of the finalists on the task ahead and will include workshops, masterclasses, meet the sponsor sessions and the big reveal of the mystery basket. It will take place on Tuesday, 15 September at Unilever Innovation Kitchen in Leatherhead. 

Tough challenge​

David Mulcahy, vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, said, “National Chef of the Year is arguably the toughest culinary challenge in the UK’s competition calendar and the semi-finalists are now facing up to what will be a demanding but ultimately a hugely rewarding experience. Over the past 45 years, we have seen some fantastic chefs make a name for themselves through this competition and I look forward to witnessing this year’s talent.”

The panel of judges will be chaired by Clare Smyth, chef patron at the three Michelin starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.