Ten talented chefs battled it out in the kitchen at the University of West London to serve up three dishes that would impress some of the biggest stars of the culinary world. This included Matt Abé, Aktar Islam, Brett Graham, Gary Jones, Roberta Hall-McCarron, Kenny Atkinson, James Golding, Tom Shepherd, Mark Perkins, Stephen Trigg, James Petrie and Andrew Gravett.
Orry took the top spot with his delicious menu of Turbot from the North Sea with smoky Orkney scallop for starter, Lumina lamb with the Scottish autumn for main course and a celebration of Manjari Valrhona with influences from Asia for dessert. Achieving runner-up this year was Cleverson Cordeiro from Frog by Adam Handling with Paul Gamble who works for Waitrose & Partners taking third place.
Matt Abé, chef patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay said: “What an incredible array of dishes we’ve tasted. This year I increased the cooking time from two to three hours, and I feel this has made a huge difference to the quality of dishes that the chefs have put out there.
“They have had more time to relax, prep and showcase impressive culinary techniques which has resulted in some amazing food. Orry has completely set a new level for this competition. He was outstanding and I know he will be a fantastic ambassador for both this competition and the industry.”
New for 2024 was a wine pairing competition hosted by Hallgarten & Novum Wines who asked the finalists to select a wine from their extensive range to pair with their main course. The winner of this element of the competition was Jethro Lawrence from healthcare meals provider Apetito.
Competition director and food innovation & sustainability director at Sodexo UK and Ireland, David Mulcahy added: “Each year we attract new faces to the competition and see chefs coming back time and time again.
“This is always fantastic to see, and we know that the opportunities and experiences that this competition offers makes it a very special celebration of culinary talent. Seeing the focus, dedication and skill from the ten chefs in the kitchen was incredibly inspiring to watch. Congratulations to Orry who is a very worthy winner.”
The prestigious title of National Chef of the Year is the prize all competitive chefs are chasing but the accolade comes with a host of other impressive prizes kindly donated by the event sponsors.
Essential Cuisine and Lumina have teamed up to take Orry on a surprise culinary tour that will help him to create lasting memories of the competition. Courtesy of Valrhona, he will embark on an unforgettable two-day French experience, exploring the iconic Valrhona world.
To help the top three chefs celebrate their success in style, Hallgarten & Novum Wines and Champagne Collet will take the trio to the Champagne region in France, where they will visit Champagne Collet, taste the cuvees and discover the history behind the region’s oldest cooperative.
Continental Chef Supplies (CCS), in partnership with Lafont, will be offering Orry an exclusive experience at Obsession's 25th Anniversary next January, including producer visits to some of the North's finest artisan suppliers.
Classic Fine Foods will be whisking Orry away for a three-day training course in its new facility at The TasteLab whilst the top three will enjoy a culinary experience with Tommy Banks at The Black Swan in Oldstead courtesy of Gastronomy Plus.
St Ewe eggs will be inviting the new title holder on a culinary adventure in Cornwall. The winner will receive £3,000 from the Worshipful Company of Cooks of London to spend on culinary development.
Churchill presented Orry with their exclusively designed and framed winner’s plate as a memento of this huge achievement. He will also be offered the opportunity to be featured in Waitrose Weekend, a paper circulated to their food loving customers each week with an exclusive recipe written in collaboration with the Weekend Food editors.
Essential Cuisine and Lumina are headline partners of National Chef of the Year, which is also supported by Churchill, Continental Chef Supplies (CCS), Evolve Group, Hallgarten & Novum Wines, Valrhona, Classic Fine Foods, Gastronomy Plus and St Ewe.
More information about the competition can be found at www.nationalchefoftheyear.co.uk.