Twelve finalists revealed for Craft Guild of Chefs 2023 Graduate Awards

Twelve finalists have been announced for the Craft Guild of Chefs 2023 Graduate Awards.

It comes after Kitchen and Pastry heats took place in Watford and Sheffield last week.

During the Kitchen heats, chefs completed a paper exam featuring questions on classical and modern cookery.

For the fishmongery challenge, participants were asked to prepare two whole butterflied sardines filled with fennel fish mousse, while the butchery task involved the preparation of a whole duck as a main.

Chefs had to cook a potato-based appetizer and devise a starter from sardines and an ingredient of choice that would bring the total cost of the dish to less than £1.50 per cover.

The final challenge was for Kitchen candidates to serve an apple tart tatin with Andrew Ditchfield's sauce anglaise.

During the Pastry heats, candidates had to create plant-based chocolate truffles, six sweet verrine for a dessert buffet, and sweet and savoury choux buns while taking health, safety and wastage into account.

Participants also had to submit a portfolio of their work.

Ben Murphy, chef patron at Launceston Place and first-time chair of the Graduate Award semi-finals, said: "I thoroughly enjoyed my first event as chair. It's such an important award for our industry as it allows chefs to really focus on their own personal culinary skills and help to grow confidence. It was great to see how focused the chefs all were and how effectively they worked in the kitchen."

Finalists will go on a mentoring trip in Suffolk before the final exam on 1 September, which has been scheduled to take place at the University of West London.

This year's Graduate Awards Achievers will be announced on 11 September at an awards ceremony in London.

Finalists for the 2023 Graduate Awards are listed below:

Kitchen

• Jake Mills, Studio Frantzen
• Matthew Mark Crane, The Royal Airforce Club
• Nathan Cooper, Goldman Sachs, BaxterStorey
• Zach Colburn, House of Commons
• Chloe Williamson, Prestwold Hall
• Georgia Hackett, City of Liverpool College
• Joel Barton, The Monarch Theatre

Pastry

• Tara Pasotti, Pennyhill Park
• Jack Kirby, Lygon Arms Hotel
• Charlotte Vicars, One Aldwych Hotel
• Paige Hill, Penton Bridge Inn
• Hoi Yan Tam, Sofitel London St James