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Essential Cuisine was proud to host a Pub Chef of the Year Mentor Day, designed to celebrate and support the competition’s finalists as they prepare for the grand final at the Hotel, Restaurant & Catering Show (HRC) on 19th March 2025. Held at the RAK Ceramics Design Hub in London, this interactive event, supported by the British Institute of Innkeepers, International Salon Culinaire, and Eat Wild, provided invaluable networking opportunities with industry leaders and sponsors.

The final will challenge competitors to create a main course pub classic for two covers in just 45 minutes, featuring venison or pheasant as the star ingredient, supplied on the day. Additionally, each dish must incorporate at least one sponsor ingredient from Essential Cuisine, ensuring competitors can showcase both creativity and technical skill in a true pub kitchen environment.

A Day of Inspiration and Insight

The mentor day began with a warm welcome and light refreshments, setting the stage for an engaging and educational experience. Kicking off the sessions, Leon Challis-Davies, Culinary Director of Eat Wild delivered a masterclass, highlighting the sustainable benefits of incorporating wild meat into pub menus, with valuable insights into ethical sourcing and the affordability of these ingredients.

Following this, Essential Cuisine’s Robin Dudley, Gary Kilminster and Roger Rahaman led a practical demonstration, showcasing how to use Essential’s stocks, seasonings, and sauce bases to enhance wild meat dishes. With this year’s competition brief centred around game, this session provided key inspiration - helping competitors understand how to utilise different cuts, maximise flavour, and deliver a standout dish with well-balanced elements.

Learning from the Best: Q&A with Industry Experts

After lunch, an insightful Q&A session was hosted by Claire Bosi, featuring a panel of esteemed judges and past winners, including Aimie Harley and Daniel Jones (previous Pub Chef of the Year winners), Judges Steve Munkley and Grahame Wickham, and Leon Challis-Davies, Culinary Director of Eat Wild.

The discussion explored how the competition has shaped the careers of past winners, with Aimie Harley sharing that her winning pie from the 2024 competition has now sold over 3,000 times at The George Inn Butcombe - a testament to the real-world impact of the competition. Judges also provided insight into what they will be looking for in the finalists' dishes. Steve Munkley emphasised the importance of a creative twist on a classic pub dish, while also reminding competitors that judging is continuous throughout the competition - so every movement in the kitchen counts!

Adding to the wealth of knowledge, Grahame Wickham, a seasoned competitor and National Chef of the Year finalist (2022 & 2023), shared his top strategies for thriving under competition pressure. He stressed the importance of building relationships with fellow competitors, highlighting how these events open doors to invaluable industry connections.

Setting Up for Success

Reflecting on the day, Gary Kilminster, Business Development Manager at Essential Cuisine, commented:

“This competition offers an incredible platform for finalists to gain recognition, showcase their skills in a renowned culinary arena, and build strong networks within the industry. Supporting chefs is at the heart of Essential Cuisine, and we’re excited to see how these talented individuals bring their creativity to the final. We wish all eight of our finalists - Mathew Peter, Raul Baluteanu, Daniel Bowden, Marina Tuffnel, Samith Marlon Walallawita, Thomas Moore, Patrick Napper-Slater, and Rick Owens—the very best of luck!”

As a final takeaway, each attendee received a goodie bag, packed with Essential Cuisine ingredients, informational materials, and a choice of RAK plates to use when presenting their final dish.

Looking Ahead to the Final

With the Pub Chef of the Year final fast approaching, all eyes will be on these talented chefs as they battle it out at HRC 2025, Excel London. Essential Cuisine is honoured to be part of this journey, providing chefs with the tools and support they need to excel, while championing a more sustainable and innovative future for the foodservice industry.

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