Judges

With over 40 years in the trade David has excelled as a chef and teacher and is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts.  He is co-founder of the Specialised Chefs Scholarship, one of the country’s most prestigious culinary courses, and is its Senior Chef Lecturer at Bournemouth and Poole College.

The son of a Tyneside fisherman John developed his passion for food at an early age.  After studying for his City and Guilds at South Shields and Westminster Colleges, John began his culinary career at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington followed by the position of Chef Director at Le Crocodile Restaurant.  John joined the distinguished Savoy Group in 1986, becoming Executive Chef at The Ritz in 2004.  

Martyn has worked through the ranks at Claridge’s. Starting as a commis chef in 1998, he was appointed Executive Chef in 2005. Claridge’s operates an apprentice system via the Academy of Culinary Arts.

At the beginning of 2105, 17 year old catering student James Ganderton could not have foreseen the life changing career opportunity ahead of him.  At the time he was studying at Loughborough College in Leicestershire, living at home.

Less than a year on, and the winner of the prestigious Teflon Diamond Standards Awards 2015, James has now taken up his prize and embarked on the first year of a three year Specialised Chefs Scholarship, run in conjunction with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and Bournemouth & Poole College.