Ten Talented Chefs Receive Gifts From CCS

Over the last few days, ten talented chefs have received some surprises. Not only have they discovered that they have made it through to the final of National Chef of the Year, they have been receiving congratulatory presents from many of the competition's sponsors.

The National Chef of the Year is a competition CCS is proud to support and last month we sent a personalised chef jacket to all 40 chefs who made it through to the semi-final stage. We loved seeing our social media channels full of messages from chefs proudly wearing their new jackets. On Friday, 7 th August we logged on to our social media channels to discover which of these chefs had got through to the final. It was incredible to see the buzz on Twitter as each chef was announced with its own personal tweet. Chefs from across the UK showed their support for these finalists, recognising what a huge achievement it was to make it through.

Congratulations to the ten chefs who have made the final:

- Derek Johnstone, head chef, Borthwick Castle, East Lothian

- Fraser Bruce, head chef, Fraser Bruce @ The Fish Shed, St Ives

- Nathan Cornwell, head chef, The Barn at Moor Hall, Ormskirk

- Sarah-Jasmina Moussabih, head chef, Finnish Embassy, London

- Marcin Pomierny, head chef, The Maids Head Hotel Limited, Norwich

- April Lily Partridge, chef, The Ledbury, London

- Nick Smith, head chef, Vacherin / Ashurst, London

- Dominic South, head chef, Corinthia Hotel, London

- Ben Drake, senior sous chef, The Elephant by Simon Hulstone, Torquay

- Thomas Swaby, senior sous chef, Roux at Parliament Square, London

We have selected a few of our favourite tweets from the big reveal.

To continue showing our support for chefs during the most challenging times of their careers, the ten finalists have received two very special gifts from us to mark the occasion.

One of these is a stunning Samura Damascus Knife. These knives are made from 67 layers of highest quality modern Japanese Damascus steel. They are a perfect combination of the ancient art of metal processing and high tech. The hardness of the blade is HRC-61 which gives an incredible sharpness and durability. It also includes a G10 handle for comfort and control. You can put these knives through the dishwasher, and they have a 25 year warranty.

We loved seeing these pictures from finalist, Nick Smith when his products arrived.

In this picture you can also see Riedel glassware which was another gift from Continental Chef Supplies (CCS). We sent each chef a Riedel Bordeaux Grand Cru Glass which is perfect for full-bodied, complex red wines that are high in tannin. This shape was one of the original 'wine friendly' glasses designed by 9th generation Claus J. Riedel. The generous size of this glass allows the bouquet to develop fully and smooths out the rough edges. It emphasises the fruit, playing down the bitter qualities of the tannin and allows wines to achieve balance. Each glass is handmade and dishwasher safe.

What's next in the competition?

The chefs will now cook for Paul Ainsworth, Clare Smyth, Claude Bosi and Niall Keating in the final on the 7th September. Chefs and the wider hospitality industry can watch what happened during the final as part of Hospitality Week on Wednesday, 30th September. An hour-long TV-style show will be broadcast followed by the live announcement of who has won the title this year. Chefs in kitchens across the UK are encouraged to watch it together to support the finalists and see the event unfold.

Organiser of the competition, David Mulcahy, vice-president of the Craft Guild of Chefs said: "There is no doubt that finding a way to make sure the National Chef of the Year competition could still go ahead has been challenging. But as organisers, we have always remained determined to ensure the competition's heritage could be maintained and that the industry had a positive success story to come out of this. Chefs have faced some real battles along the way, even to put an entry in, but we have seen huge resilience, determination and passion from these chefs to turn adversity into positivity. Whilst we have had to tweak how the final is run, many things remain the same. We have ten brilliant chefs cooking for the best judges in the industry and what a special winner they are going to find. I really hope that on the 30th September, chefs in kitchens across the UK tune in to support the competitors and watch the final and the live announcement. There has never been a more important time for the industry to come together in this way and show everyone how much talent our culinary scene has to offer."

See all the competition updates by keeping an eye on the hashtag #NCOTY. We'll be posting throughout the streaming of the event and announcement so follow @ChefsDotNet on Twitter and Instagram.