Seventeen chefs to cook-off in Wales’ premier culinary contests

Seventeen chefs from across Wales and the borders have been selected to cook off in the finals of three prestigious competitions at the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) 2025 in January.

The Culinary Association of Wales (CAW), which organises and holds the three-day Welsh talent and food and drink showcase at ICC Wales, Newport from January 20-22, has announced the finalists of the National, Junior and Vegan Chef of Wales 2025 contests.

The National Chef of Wales final will be contested by 10 chefs. Sam Everton from  Llangeler, Llandysul, who is a catering lecturer at Coleg Ceredigion, Cardigan, is bidding to win the Junior and National Chef of Wales competitions in consecutive years. The only chef to achieve this feat was Danny Burke, from Connah’s Quay who now runs Olive Tree Catering, Runcorn.

Wayne Barnard from Caerphilly, who works at Llechwen Hall Hotel near Pontypridd, will be hoping to improve on his third place last year while Matthew Owen from Cardiff  and  Rebekah Wright, from Ebbw Vale, who both work at the Celtic Manor Resort, return for another shot at the final.

They will line up in the final with Celtic Manor Resort colleagues Patrick Millard from Bargoed, Ionut Rosca from Newport, Gareth Jenkins from Fleur de Lis and Pratik Bhandarkar from Newport.

The other finalists are Sam Rust from Swansea, who works at The Grove, Narberth, and Jordan Howorth from Baschurch, who works at Shrewsbury School for Sodexo and helped the Culinary Team Wales win a gold medal at the Alen Thong Golden Coffee Pot Young Chef Challenge in Sharjah in May.

In the final on Monday, January 20, the chefs will be given three hours to cook a three courses for 12 diners featuring GI Welsh ingredients and Cygnet Gin.

The menu must include a plant-based starter suitable for a vegan diet, a main course featuring two different cuts of GI Welsh Beef and a dessert featuring hot, cold and chocolate elements and a biscuit or tuille.

Wright will also contest Welsh Vegan Chef of the Year final against Celtic Manor Resort colleague Byron Burns, from Pontypool and former National Chef of Wales winner Ryan Jones, from Maesteg, head chef at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff. They will cook a three course menu for six diners in two-and-a-half hours on Wednesday, January 22.

The competition, sponsored by Henley Bridge, challenges chefs to cook an appetiser with 50% warm components, a main course with a minimum of three components, including microgreens and a dessert including chocolate, tea and two fruit puree products.

The Junior Chef of Wales finalists on Wednesday, January 22 are Katie Duffy who works at The Halfway, Llanelli who finished third last year, Junior Culinary Team Wales captain Calum Smith who works at Shrewsbury School for Sodexo, Jay Littler from Wrexham who works at Carden Park Hotel, Chester and Niruth Wijetunga and Gold Ayinia-Adeyemi, both from Newport who work at Celtic Manor Resort.

The chefs will be given two-and-a-half hours to cook a three course pescatarian meal for six diners with a plant-based starter suitable for a vegan diet, a main course featuring Chirk Farm Trout and a dessert including one hot and one chocolate element. The competition is sponsored by Cygnet Gin.

The winner will be automatically seeded into the UK semi-final of the Young National Chef of the Year.

Winners of all three competitions, together with the Welsh Apprentice Butcher of the Year, will be announced at a Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony to close the WICC on the evening of January 22.

CAW president Arwyn Watkins, OBE, said: “It is great to see so much culinary talent taking the time out of their busy schedules to enter our National Chef, Junior Chef and Vegan Chef of Wales 2025 competitions.

“The quality of entries was outstanding and I am looking forward to not only seeing the chefs’ menus being cooked but also tasted. This year, the general public has the opportunity to enjoy the dining experience on a first come first serve basis.”

Diners can reserve tickets to experience the dishes cooked by the finalists in the three finals at: office@culinaryassociation.wales .

Sponsors of the WICC are Castell Howell, Cambrian Training Company, Roller Grill UK, MCS Technical Products, Capital Cuisine, Churchill, Cygnet Gin, Henley Bridge, Food and Drink Wales, Kentaur, City & Guilds UK, Essential Cuisine, Ecolab, Hybu Cig Cymru / Meat Promotion Wales, Terry’s Patisserie Ltd, Willo Game, Fresh & Tasty Microgreens, Radnor Hills and Friedr Dick GmbH & Co.

For more information, please contact Arwyn Watkins, OBE, on Tel: 07831 697494, Alison Collingridge, marketing manager, on Tel: 01938 555 893 or Duncan Foulkes, public relations consultant, on Tel: 01686 650818.