FIVE Cornish chefs have been named as finalists in this year’s South West Chef of the Year competition.

The chefs from Cornwall are among others across the county who will compete for glory at the finals which will take place at Exeter College on Tuesday, October 24.

All competing to be named winners in their respective categories are: Simon Davies, head chef at The Rising Sun, Altarnun; Lottie Gentile, Truro & Penwith College and The Idle Rocks, St Mawes; Aneta Staciwa, Redruth; William from Hayle Academy; and Freya from Penrice Academy.

The competition was established in 2003 and is the only culinary competition in the UK that recognised professional chefs, student chefs, junior cooks and home cooks. It is widely regarded as one of the UK’s leading culinary competitions.

Falmouth Packet: Simon Davies, head chef at the Rising Sun, Altarnun, will compete to be named the winner in the professional chef category Simon Davies, head chef at the Rising Sun, Altarnun, will compete to be named the winner in the professional chef category (Image: Steve Haywood)For the semi-finals competitors prepared a starter and main course incorporating compulsory protein ingredients which were supplied for the contest by Flying Fish Seafoods and MC Kelly. The judges were chefs Michael Caines, Richard Davies, Neil Haydock, Tim Kendall, Matt Mason, Rob Potter, Scott Paton and Seth Ward.

Neil Haydock, Executive Chef at The Watergate Bay Hotel, Newquay, said: “The semi-finals set a high bar for the final on October 24.

“Congratulations to those going through.

“For those who didn’t make it this time, know it was one of the most consistent arrays of dishes we have seen in a long time, creating much deliberation amongst the judges.

“The difference between progressing to the final and not was down to the finest of margins. I’m looking forward to the finals and seeing those who didn’t make it come back next year and smash it!”

The category finalists are:

Professional Chef:

Simon Davies, Head Chef, The Rising Sun, Altarnun, Cornwall

Ben Godiff, Sous Chef, Àclèaf, Boringdon Hall Hotel, Plympton, Devon

Andrew Jenkinson, Head Chef, Lucknam Park, Bath

Wyn Jones, Sous Chef, Calcot & Spa, Tetbury, Gloucestershire

Young Professional Chef:

Luke Bryant, Chef de Partie, Clockspire Restaurant, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset

Harrison Miller, Blundells School, Tiverton, Devon

Lewis Nicholas, Junior Sous Chef, Lympstone Manor, Lympstone, Devon

Shangen Yen, Commis Chef, Lucknam Park, Bath

Student/Apprentice Chef semi-finalists:

Becky Birchall, City College Plymouth and Fletcher’s Restaurant, Plymouth, Devon

Perran Clark, Petroc College and New Coast Kitchen, Croyde, Devon

Lottie Gentile, Truro & Penwith College and The Idle Rocks, St Mawes, Cornwall

Ben Greenhalf, Exeter College and Gather, Totnes, Devon

Jayden Watson, Plymouth High School and Lympstone Manor, Exmouth, Devon

Falmouth Packet: Lottie Gentile will compete for the title of Student/Apprentice Chef Lottie Gentile will compete for the title of Student/Apprentice Chef (Image: Steve Haywood)

Home Cook finalists:

Tareq Assaf, Bath, Somerset

Lucinda Ellicott, Paignton, Devon

Aneta Staciwa, Redruth, Cornwall

Junior Chef finalists (and mentors)

Freya – Penrice Academy, St Austell, Cornwall Mentor judge: Tim Kendall, The Barley Sheaf, Gorran and The Rising Sun, Altarnun

William – Hayle Academy, Hayle, Cornwall Mentor judge: Pete Murt, The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow

Jessica – Torquay Girls’ Grammar School, Torquay, Devon Mentor judge: Mark Dodson, The Masons Arms, Knowstone

Elijah – St Peter’s School, Southbourne, Dorset Mentor judge: Sam Hughes, Rick Stein, Sandbanks

Catherine – Katherine Lady Berkeley’s School, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire Mentor judge: Richard Davies, Calcot Manor, Tetbury

Theo – Westfield Academy, Yeovil, Somerset Mentor judge: Chris Cleghorn, The Olive Tree, Queensberry Hotel, Bath

Akshatha – South Wilts Grammar, Salisbury, Wiltshire Mentor judge: Hywel Jones, Lucknam Park, Bath

The county finals for the junior chef category, which is open to young cooks aged 11-16, took place in June.

The winners in each county, listed below, will meet at their final, along with the home cook finalists on October 7 at Exeter College, with the winners being announced at the dinner on October 24.