Welcome to the Competitions’ hub of the Culinary Association of Wales, where creativity, passion, and friendly rivalry come together to celebrate the very best of Welsh Food and Drink. Whether you’re a seasoned chef, an aspiring talent, or simply love the buzz of competition, this is where you’ll find opportunities to showcase your skills, connect with fellow professionals, and be inspired by incredible culinary talent from across Wales and beyond.
Discover how you can get involved and learn about our proud history of competing on some of the world’s biggest culinary stages, where Team Wales has consistently showcased the skill, flair, and flavour that define Welsh cuisine.
Open Competitions 2025/26
The National Chef of the Year competition is now open! Talented chefs from across Wales are invited to showcase their skills and creativity, submit your entry by 15th November for a chance to be crowned the nation’s next top culinary talent.
The Junior Chef of the Year is officially open for entries! Aspiring young chefs from across Wales are invited to step into the spotlight, gain valuable experience, and compete for this prestigious title, submit your entry by the 30th November 2025 for a chance to be crowned our next winner.
Welsh International Culinary Championships 2025 Results
National Chef of Wales – Winner 2024
- Sam Everton, from Llangeler, Llandysul, a catering lecturer at Coleg Ceredigion, Cardigan.
Junior Chef of Wales – Winner 2025
- Calum Smith, who works at Shrewsbury School for Independents at Sodexo.
Welsh Vegan Chef of the Year – Winner 2025
- Ryan Jones, Head Chef at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff.
Welsh Apprentice Butcher of the Year – Winner 2025
- Ollie Holden-Davies, Apprentice Butcher at Neil Powell Butchers, Hay-on-Wye.
Our Competition History
The Senior and Junior Welsh National Culinary Teams carry the Welsh flag with great pride in the two major international competitions, the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg and the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany. Both competitions are held every four years to coincide with the football World Cup finals and the Olympic Games.
In addition, the senior team has brought back gold, silver and bronze medals from the American Culinary Classic in Chicago, the World Culinary Championships in Basle, the European Cup of Regional Flavours in France and was due to compete in the FHA Culinary Challenge in Singapore in 2010 until the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland grounded their flight.
Closer to home, Welsh teams have competed at the World Culinary Grand Prix in Scotland, Hospitality in Birmingham and Chef Ireland, whilst on home soil the senior team competes annually in the Battle for the Dragon contest against two invited national teams at the Welsh International Culinary Championships (W.I.C.C.) at Coleg Llandrillo.
At an individual level, Welsh chefs have competed with distinction in the Global Chefs Challenge and Hans Bueschkens Young Chefs Challenge and the UK Escoffier Challenge.
Other competitions targeted by Welsh chefs include BBC Two’s Masterchef, ITV’s Britain’s Best Dish, British Chef of the Year, National Chef of Wales, Junior Chef of Wales, Cake Cymru and the Celtic Challenge.
The Association is committed to supporting chefs & butchers from Wales to showcase their talent at a regional, national and international level.