Press Coverage
Read all the latest Centre of Excellence press releases, press coverage and view TV and radio snippets! In this section we are also including various relevant news items from across the industry.
Exmoor Young Chef Competition Highlights Local Talent and Hospitality Industry Opportunities
Exmoor Young Chef 2024 Launched
The Exmoor Young Chef of the Year 2024 will take place on Saturday 5th October 2024.
Top food critic celebrates Exmoor’s young culinary talent and spotlights the importance and quality of local provenance (10.10.23)
On Saturday October 7th the finals of the Exmoor Young Chef of the Year competition took place at West Somerset Community College. The event brought together budding culinary talent from the area. The day celebrated the extraordinary young finalists aged from 12 to 16. Katrina Nightingale of Wiveliscombe was crowned the Exmoor Young Chef of the Year with Amy Wickens of Rodhuish as runner up. The challenge emphasised the importance of local provenance in crafting a three course menu in two hours bringing the flavours of Exmoor to the forefront of the culinary world.
Raymond Blanc asks parents to see ‘extraordinary' value of hospitality industry (23.11.22)
Speaking on the Hospitality Rising podcast, the chef patron of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire said: “It’s a great time to be bringing young people to our industry and to show them how exciting, and how extraordinary the industry can be.
“You’re talking about working in a very smart, elegant environment which is all about beauty and refinement, and making people happy.”
He added: “Because of the changes and the revolution we’re creating in our industry, I hope that every parent would think one day, yes, I would want to put my son or my daughter in this industry.”
Young Chefs excel after Exmoor competition and new film launched (02.11.22)
The top winners of the Exmoor Young Chef 2022 competition, captured in a new film released this week, have joined top professional chefs at high profile foodie events and are on course for a fine career in hospitality. In July, Perran Clark and Nathan Reardon, both 16 years old, impressed the judges with their three-course menus prepared under strict competition rules at West Somerset College, Minehead.
Rise & Shine South West (25.07.22)
Wonderful to see the Exmoor Young Chef Competition 2022 featured in the Rise & Shine South West e-Newsletter.
Take a look at the Top Skills Displayed in Exmoor Young Chef Final here.
Check out BBC politics west on iPlayer (17.07.22)
Interview
Tune in from 18.30 minutes onwards to see an interview with Michell & Miguel from The Porlock Weir Hotel and Visit Exmoor CEO Emma Thomasson:
Carve out a new career as a chef with these tasty new schemes (15.07.22)
CARVE out a new career as a chef.
Three-quarters of our restaurants, pubs and cafes are struggling to find enough cooks, waiting an average of five months to recruit starters with the right skillset.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE published in The Sun on 15th July 2022.
TV Coverage highlighting recruitment challenges (11.07.22)
Top skills displayed in Exmoor Young Chef final (02.07.22)
Finalists announced for the 2023 Exmoor Young Chef Competition
Following selection by a panel of judges the 2023 finalists for Exmoor Young Chef 2023 have been announced.
