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Keira Carolan from Henrock has wowed the judges and claimed the prestigious title of the Craft Guild of Chefs’ Young National Chef of the Year, after serving up three exceptional plates at the University of West London.

Her winning menu included a starter of Monkfish, Mussels, Nasturtium and Preserved Tomato, a main course of Chicken, Foraged Mushrooms, Kales and Celeriac, with Preserved Strawberry, Apple Marigold, Sheep’s Yogurt and Honey for dessert.

Keira’s dishes were served up on a Dudson White Organic Coupe Bowl, Super Vitrified Isla Walled Plate and Super Vitrified Delta Grey Profile Wide Rim Bowl courtesy of Churchill. The judges felt the menu showcased creativity, strong technical skill and a deep understanding of flavour.

The results were unveiled at a VIP Awards evening at The Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square. Taking the runner-up spot was Oliver Redgewell-Welch from Entier Ltd, with Mitchell Collins from L’Enclume securing a well-deserved third place.

This year’s final was judged by an exciting new panel of culinary experts, alongside returning Chair of Judges Russell Bateman, who led the process with a brief designed to challenge and inspire. Finalists were tasked with delivering a three-course menu in just two hours, responding to a thought-provoking brief that celebrated innovation, sustainability, and seasonality.

Russell Bateman, culinary development chef for TheTasteLab at Classic Fine Foods UK said: “Being Chair of Judges for Young National Chef of the Year has been one of the highlights of my career so far. Mentoring the future talent in hospitality is so important to me and over the last two years I’ve been blown away by the ideas and level of cooking I’ve seen from young chefs. Congratulations to Keira who absolutely smashed it. She was consistent across all three courses delivering three delicious plates of food whilst being technically brilliant.”

David Mulcahy, competition director, added: “We always ensure this competition pushes young chefs to go outside their comfort zones whilst giving them the opportunity to cook for some of the most respected names in the industry. It’s the toughest culinary challenge in the UK for this age group, but every single finalist has risen to it and created dishes they should be proud of. We’ve got an incredible winner in Keira, and the Craft Guild of Chefs will be following her career and supporting every step of the way.”

The judging panel included chefs Daniel Galmiche, Ben Murphy, Adam Smith, Paul Askew, Roberta Hall-McCarron, Graham Hornigold, Denis Drame, Orry Shand, Sarah Frankland, Paul Mannering and Hayden Groves.

As well as being crowned Young National Chef of the Year, Keira will enjoy a range of culinary trips and experiences courtesy of Bonemasters Global, IMS of Smithfield, Allan Reeder Ltd, Sodiaal and Les Vergers Boiron. For example, Bonemasters will take her and a guest on a trip to Amsterdam, including Eurostar or flights; two nights at The Okura Hotel; a Chef’s Table experience at the two-Michelin-starred Ciel Bleu with a behind-the-scenes tour; a visit to the Bonemasters Global Production facility and a personalised engraved copper sauté pan.

Churchill will be giving Keira her framed winners plate as well as an additional prize voucher of £500. They also awarded Oliver Redgewell-Welch the Best Presentation Award which was voted for by the judges.

With a focus on sustainability, food waste and technical skills, a special award sponsored by HIT Training was presented to Annabelle Hughes for demonstrating excellence throughout the menu planning and cooking process. She wins a lunch or dinner for two at Silo London, Silo: The Zero Waste Blueprint Recipe book and a place on HIT Training’s Chef Academy Net Zero Workshop.

Seafood Scotland will be offering Keira a £500 voucher to dine at a restaurant of her choice, anywhere in the world. The top three will be invited to Scotland for an immersive seafood learning experience.

Keira will also receive an incredible prize of £3,000 from the Worshipful Company of Cooks of London to spend on culinary development. The top three will receive a fine dining experience for two at Bonheur by Matt Abé and will be invited to spend some time in the kitchen with Matt and his team.

The winner and runners up will receive vouchers worth a combined £600 to dine at The Hippodrome’s Heliot Steakhouse courtesy of casino owner Simon Thomas.

Young National Chef of the Year is sponsored by Bonemasters, IMS of Smithfield Ltd, Allan Reeder, Churchill, HIT Training, Les Vergers Boiron, Seafood Scotland, Sodiaal UK, CCS, Evolve Hospitality and Worshipful Company of Cooks.