The place in the final
Lewis Nicholas, a chef at Ashford Castle in Cong, County Mayo, holds one of ten places in the final of Young National Chef of the Year. The Craft Guild of Chefs, which runs the competition, named the ten finalists on 2 July 2026. The announcement followed the return of live semi-finals for the first time since 2019.
Hospitality Ireland carried its report on 17 September 2026. The final runs at Le Cordon Bleu London on Tuesday 6 October 2026, and the winner is announced that evening at an awards ceremony.
Two seeded places and one reserved
Two chefs went straight to the final. Inez Roggema, chef de partie at The Ledbury, took the top spot in the Graduate Awards. Alex Williams, chef de partie at Mallory Court Country House Hotel & Spa, won the British Culinary Federation Young Chef of the Year competition.
A third place goes to the highest achiever in the kitchen category of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Annual Awards for Excellence. The Craft Guild has not named that chef.
The seven decided at the cook-offs
Seven places were settled across the two heats. The organiser's list names Ben Cleary of The Forest Side Hotel; Dylan Evans of Henrock by Simon Rogan; Lewis Nicholas of Ashford Castle; Hope Ryall-Thurlow of Henrock by Simon Rogan; Zach Shaw of The Peat Inn; Eno West of Northcote; and Toby Whitehead of Woven by Adam Smith.
The London heat ran at Capital City College Westminster on 1 July 2026. The opening semi-final ran at Sheffield College the week before.
What the heats asked for
Competitors began with a butchery test on a whole Gressingham duck. They then served a duck main course using Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce or Char Siu Sauce, followed by a pre-dessert using at least one fruit puree from Les Vergers Boiron.
David Mulcahy, competition director and vice-president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, stated that the chefs faced a new cooking environment, a two-hour time limit and the judges watching each move. He stated that a place in the final is a significant milestone in a young chef's career.
The judging panel
Tom Shepherd, owner of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd, chairs the judges. The panel also names Cherish Finden, Gary Jones, Kenny Atkinson, Luke French, Hrishikesh Desai, Sarah Frankland, Josh Angus, Miller Prada, Ali Howard, Paula Stakelum, Andrew Gravett, James Mackenzie and Cal Byerley. Shepherd stated that the panel looked for strong technical skills, flavour and an understanding of the brief he set.
The property behind the place
Ashford Castle is a Forbes Five-Star hotel in Cong, County Mayo, and part of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection. The property's own site places the estate on the shores of Lough Corrib and puts the castle at more than 800 years old.
The competition record
The Craft Guild describes the title as the most prestigious for young chefs in the UK. Keira Carolan of Henrock took the 2025 title on 8 October 2025. Two of this year's seven cook-off qualifiers, Dylan Evans and Hope Ryall-Thurlow, also come from Henrock by Simon Rogan.
The competition is sponsored by Bonemasters, IMS of Smithfield Ltd, Allan Reeder, Chef Works and Bragard UK, Churchill, HIT Training, Lee Kum Kee, Les Vergers Boiron, Sodiaal UK, Gressingham Duck, Evolve Hospitality, Worshipful Company of Cooks and Flying Fish.