Our 2025 competitors

Thank you so much to everyone who entered South West Chef of the Year 2025.  Our judges were delighted to see such a fantastic array of entries, despite the challenge it presented for them, having to narrow them down for the next round!

It’s great to see such creativity and skill in entries from across the South West, among professional chefs, student chefs and home cooks.  Much discussion and deliberation ensued before our judges agreed on those they would like invite to cook their menus for them.

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 and July, who will now meet for the South West final.

Harrison Brockington, South West Chef of the Year 2024

Harrison receiving his award from Michael Caines MBE DL and Lauren Parker from Ritter Courivaud

Professional Chef category
semi-finalists:

Sponsored by Cricket St Thomas by Lactalis Professional

Semi-final to be held on Saturday 27th September at Exeter College

• Eternity Bennetts, Pastry Chef, Penventon Park Hotel, Redruth, Cornwall
• Tom Bennetts, Head Chef, Driftwood Spars, St Agnes, Cornwall
• James Boniface, Head Chef, The Castle Inn, Castle Combe, Wiltshire
• Lewis Brown, Sous Chef, Narla by Charlie Walters, Fowey, Cornwall
• Niall Godsmark, Sous Chef, Lucknam Park, Bath
• Rob Jones, Sous Chef, Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant, Padstow, Cornwall
• Ben Kittow, Sous Chef, Catch at The Old Fish Market, Weymouth, Dorset
• James Nightingale, Head Chef, The Fox and Hounds, Eggesford, Devon

Young Professional Chef category
semi-finalists:

Semi-final to be held on Saturday 27th September at Exeter College

• Emiley Clark, Demi Chef de Partie, The Farm Table, Darts Farm, Topsham, Devon
• Charlie Cutting, Chef de Partie, The Manor House Hotel, Castle Combe, Wiltshire
• Harry Ford, Demi Chef de Partie, The Walled Garden, Lucknam Park, Bath
• Ben Greenhalf, Chef de Partie, Gather, Totnes, Devon
• Gabriel Pugh, Senior Chef de Partie, Bishopstrow Hotel, Warminster, Wiltshire
• Bethan Roberts, Commis Chef, Restaurant 1685, Colcombe Castle, Colyton, Devon
• Theodore Roderick, Chef de Partie, The Idle Rocks, St Mawes, Cornwall
• Jack Smith, Junior Sous Chef, The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath

Student/Apprentice Chef category
semi-finalists:

Sponsored by Nisbets

Semi-final to be held on Saturday 27th September at Exeter College

Catering colleges across the South West are offered one guaranteed place in the semi-final and further students/apprentices are able to enter directly.

• Summer Denning, Exeter College and M T Tums, Kingsteignton, Devon
• Harry Earle, Bath College and Lucknam Park, Bath
• Oscar Holgate, Exeter College and Glebe House, Southleigh, Devon
• Tristan Kellett, Petroc College, Barnstaple and The Bank, Bude, Cornwall
• Poppy Mackay, Performance Learning Group and The Olive Tree, Bath
• Oscar Mysiak, Combe Dean School and Àclèaf, Boringdon Hall Hotel, Plympton, Devon
• William Skidmore, Penwith College and Porthminster Beach Café, Carbis Bay, Cornwall

The names of further semi-finalists taking up places offered to catering colleges are yet to be confirmed and will be added to this list once confirmed.

Home Cook category
finalists:

Final to be held on Saturday 11th October at Exeter College

• Tareq Assaf, Bath
• Dave Morgan, Bristol
• Louise Needham, Plympton, Devon
• Karen Walker, Paignton, Devon

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 July, 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.

Final to be held on Saturday 11th October at Exeter College

Cornwall

• Eleanor – Budehaven Community School, Bude
  Mentor judge: Pete Murt, Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant, Padstow

Devon

• Jessica – Torquay Girls’ Grammar School
  Mentor judge: Scott Paton, Àclèaf, Boringdon Hall Hotel, Plympton, Devon

Dorset

• Harry – Lytchett Minster School, Poole
  Mentor judge: Jamie Jones, Yalbury Cottage, Lower Bockhampton

Gloucestershire

• Posie – Katharine Lady Berkely School, Wotton-under-Edge
  Mentor judge: Martin Blake, The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath

Somerset

• Kai – Merchants Academy, Bristol
  Mentor judge: Jacques Ballinger, Castle Hotel, Taunton

Wiltshire

• Vita – Sheldon School, Chippenham
  Mentor judge: Rob Potter, Manor House Hotel, Castle Combe

Click here for further details of the county finals of the Junior Chef category

Celebration Dinner and Awards Evening

Join us to celebrate our 20th Anniversary and the exceptional culinary talent of the South West on the evening of Tuesday 29th October at Exeter Golf and Country Club, when we will enjoy a unique dinner prepared by judges and previous winners of the competition, followed by the presentation of awards to the winners of South West Chef of the Year 2024.

If you would like to receive further information about this event and how to purchase tickets, click here to get in touch.