Thank you very much to everyone who entered South West Chef of the Year this year. The judges were delighted to see such passion from the region’s professional chefs and home cooks and, after considering the diverse and exceptional recipes entered in great detail, have selected the competitors they would like to invite to the next rounds of the competition.
In light of the current staffing challenges facing the hospitality industry, we were particularly pleased to receive a large number of entries of a high standard in the Student/Apprentice Chef category. Our judges were very encouraged to see such enthusiasm from the next generation of chefs and hope this is indicative of a more positive outlook for the hospitality sector. For this reason, our judges took the decision to give as many student/apprentice chef entrants as possible the opportunity to cook in the semi-final, in order to support these aspiring young chefs in achieving their ambitions as they take their first steps into the industry.
Below you will find details of those invited to take part in the semi-finals of the Professional , Young Professional and Student/Apprentice Chef categories and in the finals of the Home Cook and Junior Chef categories. The finalists in the Junior Chef category (aged 11-16) were selected by our judges as the winners of the six county finals held during June, who will now meet for the grand South West final.
Joe Cotton of Àclèaf Restaurant, South West Professional Chef of the Year 2022
Professional Chef category
semi-finalists:
Sponsored by Ritter Courivaud
Semi-final to be held on Saturday 30th September at Exeter College
- Tom Bennetts, Head Chef, Driftwood Spars, St Agnes, Cornwall
- Harrison Brockington, Head Chef, Gather, Totnes, Devon
- Simon Davies, Head Chef, The Rising Sun, Altarnun, Cornwall
- Ben Godiff, Sous Chef, Àclèaf, Boringdon Hall Hotel, Plympton, Devon
- Andrew Jenkinson, Head Chef, Lucknam Park, Bath
- Wyn Jones, Sous Chef, Calcot & Spa, Tetbury, Gloucestershire
- Sophie Kennard, Sous Chef, The Bittescombe Inn, Upton, Taunton, Somerset
- Zibi Klapsia, Executive Chef, Brownsword Hotels, Imperial Hotel, Torquay, Devon
Young Professional Chef category
semi-finalists:
Sponsored by Essential Cuisine
Semi-final to be held on Saturday 30th September at Exeter College
- Lewis Brown, Junior Sous Chef, Edies, Carlyon Bay, Cornwall
- Luke Bryant, Chef de Partie, Clockspire Restaurant, Milborne Port, Sherborne,
Dorset - Harrison Miller, Blundells School, Tiverton,
Devon - Lewis Nicholas, Junior Sous Chef, Lympstone Manor,
Lympstone, Devon - Jack Simmonds, Lowden Garden Centre, Melksham,
Wiltshire - Shangen Yen, Commis Chef, Lucknam Park,
Bath
Student/Apprentice Chef category
semi-finalists:
Sponsored by Nisbets
Semi-final to be held on Saturday 30th September at Exeter College
- Becky Birchall, City College Plymouth and Fletcher’s Restaurant, Plymouth, Devon
- Luke Callingham, St Austell College, Cornwall
- Finn Clark, Exeter College and The Harbour Inn, Lyme Regis, Devon
- Perran Clark, Petroc College and New Coast Kitchen, Croyde, Devon
- Isobel Coleman, Bridgwater and Taunton College, Somerset
- Jake Garland, Weymouth College, Dorset
- Lottie Gentile, Truro & Penwith College and The Idle Rocks, St Mawes, Cornwall
- Ben Greenhalf, Exeter College and Gather, Totnes, Devon
- Lily Hanson, Weston College, Somerset
- Lily Hargreaves, Gloucester College and Portivo Lounge. Gloucester
- Olivia Lyle, Bridgwater and Taunton College, Somerset
- Olive Pring, Bath College and Kaleidoscope Hotels, Bath
- Courtney Simpson, Gloucester College and Greggs, Gloucester
- Callum Townsend, Gloucester College and Burger Boi, Gloucester
- Alana Walsh, Bridgwater and Taunton College, Somerset
- Jayden Watson, Plymouth High School and Lympstone Manor, Exmouth, Devon
Home Cook category
finalists:
Final to be held on Saturday 7th October at Exeter College
- Tareq Assaf, Bath, Somerset
- Lucinda Ellicott, Paignton, Devon
- Franky Jenkins, Taunton, Somerset
- Freya Raybould, Taunton, Somerset
- Aneta Staciwa, Redruth, Cornwall
Junior Chef category
finalists:
Sponsored by Michael Caines Ltd.
Finals were held in each of the six counties of the South West during June and the winners in each county listed below, will now meet at the final. Each will benefit from mentoring from one of our county judges in preparation for the final. Two competitors could not be split at the Cornwall final and so our judges chose to award the title jointly to both!
Final to be held on Saturday 7th October at Exeter College
- Freya – Penrice Academy, St Austell, Cornwall
Mentor judge: Tim Kendall, The Barley Sheaf, Gorran and The Rising Sun, Altarnun - William – Hayle Academy, Hayle, Cornwall
Mentor judge: Pete Murt, The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow - Jessica – Torquay Girls’ Grammar School, Torquay, Devon
Mentor judge: Mark Dodson, The Masons Arms, Knowstone - Elijah – St Peter’s School, Southbourne, Dorset
Mentor judge: Sam Hughes, Rick Stein, Sandbanks - Catherine – Katherine Lady Berkeley’s School, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire
Mentor judge: Richard Davies, Calcot Manor, Tetbury - Theo – Westfield Academy, Yeovil, Somerset
Mentor judge: Chris Cleghorn, The Olive Tree, Queensberry Hotel, Bath - Akshatha – South Wilts Grammar, Salisbury, Wiltshire
Mentor judge: Hywel Jones, Lucknam Park, Bath
Click here for further details of the county finals of the Junior Chef category
Celebration Dinner and Awards Evening
Join us to celebrate the exceptional culinary talent of the South West on the evening of Tuesday 24th October at Exeter Golf and Country Club, when we will enjoy a unique dinner prepared by some of the region’s leading chefs followed by the presentation of awards to the winners of South West Chef of the Year 2023.
If you would like to receive further information about this event and how to purchase tickets, click here to get in touch.
Good luck to all competitors!
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