The Bocuse d’Or: Could you be the next chef to represent the UK?

The Bocuse d’Or was founded by legendary chef Paul Bocuse in 1987, his aim was to broaden the public’s understanding of the extraordinary dedication, hard work, practice and precision required to execute the very finest cuisine. The Bocuse d’Or competition is the most rigorous culinary competition in the world, held every two years in Lyon, France. There are selection events held globally to determine which countries will ultimately compete in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or Finale.

The Bocuse d’Or UK Academy is calling for chefs to compete for the chance to represent the UK in the Bocuse d’Or culinary competition. Chefs have until Wednesday 14th June to submit their application for the Bocuse d’Or UK selection which will take place on Monday 10th July at the Gordon Ramsey Academy in London.

In order to apply applicant must have a British passport, they will need to email a CV and a cover letter, detailing why they want to represent the UK and what skills, experience and uniqueness they will bring to the competition. A short list of chefs will then be invited to be interviewed by Bocuse d’Or UK president Clare Symth, chair Andreas Antona, and UK performance coach Mike Duckett.

The finalists will compete in the National Selection cook off at the Gordon Ramsey Academy in London. The theme of this year's competition is ‘Feed the Kids’ and each Chef can be assisted by a Commis Chef who must be 23 years of age or younger and experienced enough to compete.

They will be required to cook six plates in five and a half hours under the following guidelines: They must include Scottish salmon with a sauce and three garnishes that feature ingredients known to support cancer recovery, such as beetroot, red pepper, walnuts, Turmeric and artichoke etc. For the second section they will need to prepare a platter with a saddle of Southwest UK lamb and lamb sweetbreads from Aubrey Allen, which will be served with two seasonal garnishes and a sauce.

The winner of the UK selection will participate in the Bocuse d'Or European heats in Trondheim, Norway, from 19-20 March 2024.

So if you are a talented Chef and you think you can compete, your time to apply is running out. This is a incredible display of culinary excellence and we are excited to see the outcome and hopefully a British chef will take to the podium at the world final.

Chefs wishing to enter should email Michelle Diederichs at: koyahpr@icloud.com