The finalists are:
Saurav Nath head chef at the Colony Bar & Grill in London
Kevin Hughes head chef at Leeds College’s International Academy Culinary Arts
Amardeep Singh Anand executive chef at the Taj Indian Restaurant Leicester
Suree Coates chef patron of The King and Thai Restaurant at the Forester Arms in Broseley, Shropshire
Shire Yu head chef at Maguro Restaurant in London
Colin Marshall chef manager for the Sodexo Group
Mushfiqur Rahman chef director of the New Delhi 6 fine Dine Restaurant, Little Ashton, Sutton Coldfield
Sam Hussain chef patron of Café Rickshaw Restaurant in Wolverhampton
A panel of chef judges from the Craft Guild of Chefs, the catering industry and the catering education sector will evaluate their cooking skills and dishes, which must be adventurous and innovative using their own original recipes. The panel includes chair of judges Andrew Green supported by Stephen Gomes and Richard Jones.
The overall winner will receive a first prize of £2,000, while runners up will win £1,000 for second place and £750 for third place. Two special prizes will be awarded for the most innovative dish and the most health-conscious dish.
The competition, spearheaded by the Aagrah Restaurant Group, will culminate with the winners being acclaimed at Aagrah’s 31st Annual Charity Business Dinner hosted by TV personality and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth at the Aagrah Midpoint Suite in Bradford.