This year the criteria focuses on demonstrating excellent culinary skills across all disciplines, the creative use of local and global sustainable ingredients as well as the avoidance of any unnecessary food waste. Entries are now open and chefs can go online to register. 

Seen as the UK’s most prestigious and respected culinary contest, the NCOTY competition has a long heritage, having helped to launch careers and opportunities for some of the biggest names in the UK’s chef world. With the impressive panel of judges, led by Matt Abé, every chef who enters knows they will gain valuable feedback to help them improve; whatever stage of the competition they reach.

Chefs should celebrate and support excellent food producers through their competition entry, showcasing both simple and high-quality ingredients, elevating them to produce excellent dishes. Professional chefs from all ethnic and gender backgrounds are invited to submit an entry to one of the UKs longest running and most prestigious competitions.

Peter Joyner’s top tips for photographing your dishes include:

• Shoot in natural light
• Avoid harsh shadows
• Use a neutral background
• Shoot from the best angle
• Arrange your food neatly
• Add props
• Use your contacts

To read Peter Joyner’s explanation of the tips, visit here.

The theme for the starter is ‘This is me'. Chefs are asked to create a fish, seafood or vegetarian dish that reflects their own identity and unique personality. This is an opportunity for chefs to showcase their true self on a plate considering ethnicity, heritage, background influences and even the environment where they grew up. 

A lamb dish is required for the main course using two cuts of lamb from a series of alternatives. It should be suitably garnished and capable of being cooked within the extended three-hour period.

The dish must make use of ingredients, techniques and cooking styles that bring the very best from the lamb dish. Judges will want to see how the lamb element is elevated using relevant complementary and seasonal ingredients, flavours, textures and techniques.

The menu will be completed with a chocolate finale. Competitors are required to produce a warm or cold chocolate dessert that showcases the flavours of Valrhona Chocolate. The dishes flavour is all about the nuances and flavours of the grand crus. Competitors must showcase chocolate as the focal point of the dessert, and it must complement the rest of the menu.

If you have any questions or technical issues in these final few days of the entry stage, please contact the team via [email protected]