Chef v Chef Competition 2017

Professional Chef Category Winners:

  • GOLD Daniel Vosper from the King William, Bath
  • SILVER Simon Mealing from the Garrick’s Head, Bath
  • BRONZE Fraser Jones from the Centurion Hotel, Midsomer Norton

Student Team Event Winners:

  • GOLD Lucas Fellender, Maria Parker-Cook and Joshua Yoell
  • SILVER Soraya Adams, Emma Pinfield and William Ferris
  • BRONZE Molly McKechnie, Maddie Walker and Sophie Jones

A panel of judges searching for new culinary talent helped to turn up the heat in the kitchens at Bath College for the Chef V Chef Competition.

Students and professional chefs worked hard to show off their cookery skills during the day-long competition testing all aspects of food preparation and presentation.

The competition, organised by Bath College and Catering Services International, took on an exciting new format this year.

As part of this, students completed a team cooking challenge and took part in knife skills, napkin folding, table layout and wine pairing tests.

Judges included Gary Jones, a former Bath College student who is executive head chef at Raymond Blanc's Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.

Former students Stuart Ash, from Woods Restaurant, and Scott Lucas, from the Craft Guild of Chefs for Bristol, gave up their time to judge the competition alongside Stuart Mcleod, from Zuidam and Jonathan Newberry, from The Valley Smokehouse in Bristol.

Judges also included Sarah Holden, from The Pig near Bath, events manager Sue Godding, Kean Maslen, a former lecturer at the college, and ex-student Ollie Dunn.

Ollie is working as a commis chef at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons after spending six months at The Royal Crescent Hotel.

He met executive head chef Gary Jones and secured work experience with him after competing in the Chef V Chef Competition at Bath College two years ago.

Mr Jones said: “Ollie epitomises what this competition is about. It’s brave to stand up and put yourself forward. You can see he wanted to get better, he was keen to improve and has the will to improve himself.

“We’re training the next generation of young chefs and in turn, restaurants in the UK will raise their standards. I’m very proud of him. He’s just passed his three-month probation and if he keeps going the way he’s going, he’ll do well.” 

First year Bath College student Benjamin Colley said: “The competition was brilliant. It’s a good way to see how far you have come in a year. “I knew it was a competition, but I didn’t know how competitive it would be. I’m really happy with how I have done.”

Professional Chef Winners 2017. From left Simon Mealing. Dan Vosper, Fraser Jones