Semi-finalists announced for KNCOTY

A panel of judges led by Andrew Bennett whittled them down from the original paper entries. The lucky finalists are listed below: BIRMINGHAM Steven Allen Gordon Ramsay at Claridges Simon Atkinson UKLF CSG, (Royal Marines) Plymouth Nigel Bisset The Welcome to Town Country Bistro, Swansea Ian Boden Limes Restaurant, Derby Keith Burton Sodexho, Stevenage Brian Canale Heritage Portfolio Ltd, Edinburgh Martin Clayton S.A. Foods Ltd, Derby Clark Crawley Barclays Wealth Ben Ford British Airways Waterside, West Drayton Michael Godfrey Bekynton, Eton David Hunt Sodexho, Scotland and Ireland Richard Knights The Lavender House, Norfolk Royston Maddams Leander Club, Oxfordshire Fergus Martin Wyboston Lakes Ltd, Wyboston James Rogers The Dog Inn, Suffolk Christopher Souto El Toro Grill, Belfast Robert Stordy University of Derby, Buxton Stephen Thompson 114 The Arch Restaurant, Leeds Wayne Thompson New Hall Hotel, Walmley Village Trevor Tobin Chapter Two, London Andy Twells Eurest Catering, Feltham David Waplington The Bay Hotel, Newquay Alyn Williams Petrus, London Andreas Wingert Lucknam Park Hotel, Chippenham BOURNEMOUTH Russell Benton Investec (Restaurant Associates), London Mark Budd The Stafford Hotel, London James Hamilton Hotel Hougue du Pommier, Castle, Guernsey Martin Hisbet Great Hallingbury Manor, Bishops Stortford Simon Hulstone The Elephant Restaurant, Torquay Robert Oberhoffer The Dove Restaurant, Harleston David Sims UBS, London Paul Wildish Arora International Hotel, Crawley NEWCASTLE Anthony Heath The Pumphouse Restaurant, Durham Michael Jameson Longhirst Hall, Northumberland David Kennedy 32 Clayton Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Ross Murray Dunblane Hydro Hotel, Dunblane Yoram Odentz SMH, Aberdeen Lee Pattie Golf View Hotel, Nairn, Scotland David Ward Hamden Park, Glasgow Justin Woods Castle Green Hotel, Kendal These chefs will now go on to a round of live cook offs held at three different venues around the country – the first of which will be held on March 12 at the Bournemouth Hotel & Catering Show as part of the Wessex Salon. Three further heats will take place at the Food & Drink Expo in Birmingham on April 8-9 and the fifth heat will be held in Newcastle at the North Eastern Culinary Trade Association event on May 22. Just eight finalists will then go on to compete for the ultimate prize in a live cook-off at the Restaurant Show in London on October 7, 2008. They will have four hours to create a four-course meal with a selection of ingredients from a mystery basket. Further details of the competition will follow.