Theme unveiled for Bocuse d'Or Europe 2022

It has been confirmed that the Bocuse d'Or Europe 2022 will be held on 23 and 24 March 2022 in Hungary during the Sirha Budapest at Hungexpo.

As well as the UK, 19 European countries have been selected to compete. Team UK withdrew from the European Bocuse d'Or selection in 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic and a shortage of time and funding to support the candidates. It was the first time the UK has not competed in more than 30 years.

The 20 candidates will compete in two trials, the theme of one of which has just been revealed: venison (saddle and leg) and duck liver. The teams will also have to work with two other products widely used in Hungarian cuisine: sour cream and cottage cheese.

Zoltán Hamvas, head of the Hungarian Bocuse d'Or Academy and president of the COC 2022, said: "All these products are very typical from the Hungarian cuisine, so we are expecting from the candidates to show us their version of it, to magnify these products and surprise us, but also to work with the respect of these honoured ingredients coming from the wild nature."

Of the total 20 countries selected, 10 will go on to compete in Lyon, France, at the global competition the following year. The UK has yet to reach the podium; the closest it came was in 2013 when Adam Bennett and Kristian Curtis reached fourth place.

French chef Paul Bocuse, who died in 2018, launched the global cooking competition in 1987. France won the competition for the first time in eight years earlier this year.