Blogs

Why I’m so proud of our Hungry Chef Competition 2025

As someone who’s passionate about developing young culinary talent, this year’s Hungry Chef Competition has been one of the proudest moments in my career.

When we first launched Hungry Chef three years ago, our goal was simple. To give our junior chefs, from commis chefs to chef de parties, a platform to challenge themselves, gain confidence. And experience what it’s like to cook under competition pressure. Watching that idea come to life and seeing how much our young chefs have grown has been incredible.

A platform to learn, compete and grow

The competition isn’t about finding perfection; it’s about encouraging our chefs to push their boundaries and discover their potential. In the weeks leading up to the event, each competitor received masterclasses and mentoring from our senior chefs. This helps them refine their dishes and develop their creativity.

On the day itself, they were asked to cook two dishes. One they had designed themselves featuring either mackerel or fallow venison saddle, and another created from a seasonal mystery box of ingredients including squash, kale and sand carrots.

It was a joy to see their passion come through on every plate.

Celebrating our winner: Yufei

I want to give a huge congratulations to Yufei, one of our talented commis chefs, who was named this year’s overall winner.

What makes Yufei’s achievement so inspiring is that she’s only been in the kitchen for three months. Despite that, she showed real determination and spent hours perfecting her dish. Her venison was beautifully cooked, her seasoning was spot on, and her presentation refined, all of which made her dish stand out to the judges.

Her prize includes a dining experience at Kitchen W8 with a menu written by our head judge Mark Kempson. As well as a tailored culinary shopping trip to inspire her next steps.

A huge thank you to our judges

I’d also like to thank Mark Kempson, Head Chef at Kitchen W8, and Rory Goulcher, Senior Development Chef at Belazu. Giving their time, expertise and encouragement to our young chefs.

The standard across all seven competitors was outstanding, which made judging incredibly tough and is a testament to the hard work and passion each of them put into their dishes.

Why Hungry Chef matters

When we created the Hungry Chef competition, it was never just about trophies or titles. It was about development, confidence and creating opportunities for young chefs to learn, grow and realise what they’re capable of.

Seeing the transformation in our participants this year, from nervous cooks at the start to confident chefs plating dishes with pride, reminded me exactly why this initiative exists.

This was without a doubt our best year yet for Hungry Chef, and it’s so rewarding to see that our investment in people is paying off. The talent coming through our kitchens right now is something truly special, and I couldn’t be prouder.

Looking ahead

The Hungry Chef Competition has become a cornerstone of our chef development programme. It’s helping to shape the next generation of culinary talent and giving our junior chefs a platform to shine.

We’re already excited to see what next year brings, and if this year is anything to go by, the future of our kitchens is in very good hands.