The hunt is on for the region’s best home cook

Entries are now open for the Home Cook category

Are you, or is someone you know, the South West’s best home cook?

Do you have a passion for cooking? Are you always being told you should do something with your culinary talents? Or do you know someone who’s a wizard in the kitchen and deserves to shine?

Entries are now open for the Home Cook category of the prestigious South West Chef of the Year 2025 – giving talented amateur cooks across the region a chance to showcase their skills in front of some of the UK’s top chefs.

The competition, co-founded by Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines MBE DL, celebrates the best cooking talent from across the South West – and the Home Cook category offers a unique opportunity for anyone aged 16 or over, who has never trained or worked in the catering industry, to step into the spotlight.

Michael said: “The South West is full of incredible home cooks – and this competition is your chance to put your creativity and love of great ingredients to the test. Whether you’ve honed your skills cooking for friends, family or supper clubs, we want to hear from you.”

Home Cooks are asked to create two delicious dishes using a range of principal seasonal, locally sourced ingredients provided by the competition and entrants can select their own accompanying ingredients. Those who impress the judges will be invited to cook live in the finals at Exeter College on Saturday 11 October – with expert feedback from a panel of top chefs including Michael Caines, Nathan Outlaw, Hywel Jones, Scott Paton and Peter Gorton.

The Home Cook category has helped launch many exciting journeys in food – from supper club hosts to food writers and beyond. It’s not about professional plating or fancy gadgets – it’s about flavour, flair and a real passion for cooking.

Could that be you – or someone you know?

Applicants must live in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire or Wiltshire, and entries close on Thursday 31 July. For entry details, visit: www.southwestchef.co.uk

Finalists and winners will be celebrated at the glittering Awards Presentation Dinner on Tuesday 28 October, where the region’s best chefs cook a four-course feast for guests at Exeter Golf and Country Club.

As well as Home Cook, entries in the competition are now open in the following categories:

• Professional Chef – any age, working as a sous chef/pastry chef or above

• Young Professional Chef – aged 18-24, working in any role in the kitchen up to and including junior sous chef

• Student/Apprentice Chef – aged 16-19 and at college or in an apprenticeship

Competitors are given a list of seasonal ingredients and challenged to create their own unique dishes, with an emphasis on locally sourced produce.

Last year’s overall winner was Harrison Brockington who is head chef of Gather, Totnes. The competition has a proud track record of supporting the careers of some of the UK’s leading chefs, including Elly Wentworth, Simon Hulstone, Matt Mason and many others.

For more information and to enter, visit: www.southwestchef.co.uk