The competition will take place at next year’s Hospitality Show at the NEC in Birmingham

Mark Lyddy, head of Tilda Foodservice, said: “On the back of the success of our Tilda Chef of the Year competition held biannually at Hotelympia, we are now opening up the competition to the young chefs of the industry.

“Tilda Young Chef of the Year will provide an ideal platform for junior, talented chefs to show what they can do in a competitive environment at a major industry event.”

The event is a 30-minute competition where chefs will be challenged with preparing, cooking and presenting two portions of a main course using rice as the base ingredient. Competitors will be able to choose from any of the following Tilda range: Easy Cook Basmati, Brown Basmati, Fragrant Jasmine, Arborio Risotto, Original Pure Basmati and Basmati & Wild.

He added: “The competition will give them an opportunity to compete against some of the best emerging talent in the business and see how their cooking skills compare. We hope this event will encourage more young chefs to come forward and put their skills to the test.”

Tilda Young Chef of the Year 2015 is open to chefs aged 21 or under on or before January 1st. It is being staged as part of the Salon Culinaire 2015, a culinary competition, which will be at the heart of the Hospitality Show 2015.

The winner will receive automatic entry into Tilda Chef of the Year at Hotelympia 2016, a trophy and a Red Letter Days voucher worth £150. Runners-up will receive medals, framed certificates and a commemorative award plate.

Steve Munkley, Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs, said: “By introducing a younger age category, we hope the bright young chefs of our industry will demonstrate some fresh and exciting menu ideas and bring a new-wave of creativity with rice.

“Tilda Young Chef of the Year is the perfect vehicle for them to let the industry know just how good they are.”