Students compete to become Future Chef of the Year

FutureChef is a nationally acclaimed cookery competition for students aged between 12-16. Participants are involved in the competition from school heats through local and regional finals, with the national final taking place in March in London. James Duke-Smith, Springboard's head of national programmes, comments on their progress so far, "The have produced fantastic dishes at the School and Local Heats and I'm expecting sizzling regional finals which will produce twelve of the finest young chefs, ready to compete at the final. David Everitt-Matthias, winner of last year's Catey Chef of the Year, has agreed to mentor this year's winner at his two Michelin-starred restaurant – Le Champignon Sauvage – for one week. David said: "I realise that the talent and enthusiasm shown by these future stars are important for the continuation of this great industry. It is therefore vital that they are nurtured and encouraged at this early stage." Last year, over 7,000 students from 522 schools took part in FutureChef.