Craft Guild of Chef's Graduate awards see young talent step into the spotlight

Chefs who enter the annual challenge enjoy a whole host of development sessions during their journey, including mentoring at every stage and a two-day learning experience. This year, the successful finalists were invited to a study trip that included a farm visit, wagyu burger and Silly Moo cider tasting at Trenchmore Wagyu Beef Farm, and tastings at Albury Vineyard, Norbury Blue Cheesemakers and the Dorking Gin Kitchen, all in Surrey.

The trip was interspersed with training, demonstrations and mentoring, provided by members of the Craft Guild of Chefs. This year, Mark Hill, executive chef, and Andrew Ditchfield, pastry chef, both at House of Commons, and the original sponsors of the Graduate Awards the London Meat Company showcased the preparation of a haunch of venison into individual muscles allowing chefs to practice their butchery skills, and James Knight of Mayfair supplied lemon sole and other fish species for filleting.

The chefs are given the opportunity to watch and learn and finesse their skills. At the final the graduates were asked to prepare a classic dish with one of the products they had observed and been sent written and video information on, alongside a dessert of a peach melba sable, demonstrated by Ditchfield in the kitchens of the De Vere East Horsley Estate, Surrey.

The pastry finalists were whisked away to Unilever's head office in Leatherhead for a demonstration from Sarah Frankland, acting executive chef at Pennyhill Park hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, and Westminster Kingsway College chef lecturer Steven James, who is also part of the Craft Guild of Chefs' pastry committee. Utilising Unilever's development kitchen Frankland, James and the graduate pastry finalists practised their skills and were hosted by Alex Hall, executive chef and culinary team leader for Food Solutions at Unilever, with some additional taste testing of Unilever products.

Several other suppliers joined the group for an evening barbecue at the Barn at Rushett Farm in Chessington to provide the graduates a further learning experience. Big Smoke Craft Brewery, Raw Honey Gin Distillery, Reynolds Fruit & Veg, Chalk Stream Foods and Growing Underground as well as Simon Taylor of Surrey Hills Butchers and captain of Team GB Butchery adeptly jointing a whole venison carcass.

For two decades, the Graduate Awards have been spearheaded by Steve Munkley, vice-president of the Craft Guild of Chefs. His commitment to the Graduate Awards comes about due to his strong belief in practical training.

Munkley says: "It has been shown again and again that participating in the Graduate Awards helps develop a young chef's career and the roles they go on to achieve, be it Michelin stars, owning their own establishments or senior roles in large associations, or the direct feedback the chefs give us with regards to the journey we take with them, mentoring them through the programme to achieve the pass mark in the final exam.

"We have also found employers that support the young chefs always achieve a better result and often say they could not have got where they were without the mentor's support. It also then reflects in loyalty to the establishment that has given them that opportunity, showing the importance of initiatives like the Graduate Awards."

The Graduate Awards are exam-based, explains Munkley. "So, unlike a straightforward competition, everyone that gets through to the finals can go on to achieve the final grade of 85%." Some entrants like this year's Jonny Smith, are returning entrants and go on to receive the competition's highest achiever accolade.

With regards to the challenge making chefs better managers in the future, with an understanding of the value of personal development, Munkley says the young chefs that put themselves forward to be challenged, have a hunger in life to achieve – which is a trait to be encouraged. "The Graduate Awards takes young chefs out of their comfort zone and pushes them to discover what they can achieve.

"Along the way they mix with other like-minded chefs and build friendships and support groups. There is also the group of specialists who can help in the development of their future careers. All these experiences provide the opportunity and tools to learn and develop their own personal management style."

Mark Hill, executive chef at the House of Commons, has been involved in the Craft Guild of Chef's Graduate Awards since its conception 20 years ago along with Munkley and supports them because, as he says, "it is paramount."

"The Graduate Awards are an educational programme that challenge young chefs to better themselves and to gain more experience to be great chefs and chef managers in their careers," he says.

Hill's role is to bring all the finalists together on the study trip to enable them to go through the final tasks together, ask questions, settle their nerves, and prepare them for the final. The visits to local growers and food producers who really care for local ingredients, have taken on a life of their own over the last few years (excluding lockdown) and have become a key learning experience of the awards.

"The value of these trips is that young chefs don't always get the opportunity at the start of their career to visit suppliers and growers around the UK," says Hill. "Therefore, introducing them to great food and drink across the country helps inspire them back in their restaurants. And the masterclass sessions give the graduate finalists more confidence to compete in the final."

Hill stresses the importance of the sponsors and suppliers and says the Graduate Awards would not be possible without them. "Over the past 20 years we have been able to show how important these awards are to our industry. Our hall of fame of past achievers includes some legendary names and all our graduates have benefitted in their careers by being part of the programme."