UK will host the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Young Chef 2016

The UK has been chosen as the host country for the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs annual Young Chef of the Year Competition.

The event is to be held at the Manchester College in September 2016, and is a means to honour the UK as having made a major contribution to the culinary world.

Finalists taking part will have competed and won in a series of regional and national heat stages in the run up to the event, across over 24 countries.

Liz Peters, assistant principal at the Manchester College, commented: "The UK has achieved a well-deserved reputation for its food; we have produced some of the world's most celebrated chefs and our restaurants often top the ‘best' lists. It is only fitting therefore that the International Young Chef Competition comes to Britain."

Philip Evins, bailli delegue at the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, added: "The training and development of future talent is of paramount importance to the industry as a whole, if it wants to maintain its standing in the international gastronomic world stage. The Chaîne UK recognises this and has committed to the development of its young members for many years for many years now. We are sure that all those competing in 2016 will receive a warm welcome to Britain."

Previous international finals have been held in South Africa, the USA, Amsterdam and Russia.

Founded in Paris in 1950, the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is an international gastronomic society seeking to bring together professional and non-professional chefs across 80 countries, to celebrate wine and fine dining.

With a history dating back to 1248, it still holds a wide array of local, national and international events today, including the Young Chef and Young Sommelier contestsk, both in the UK and internationally.

This year saw Joe Gould from Lainston House hotel in Winchester win the UK Young Chef of the Year title, and Mathias Camilleri from Medlar in London's Chelsea pick up the UK Young Sommelier award.

Peter Lex from Germany picked up the overall international title for 2014, while the 2015 contest is set to take place in September, in Budapest.

Chaîne des Rôtisseurs names Young Chef and Young Sommelier winners >>

Peter Lex of Germany wins Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Young Chef of the Year 2014 >>