South Devon chefs triumph in prestigious competition

Talented chefs and home cooks from South Devon have been recognised in one of the UK’s most prestigious chef contests.

The finals of the South West Chef of the Year competition, which is in its 20th year, was co-founded by renowned chef Michael Caines.

The winners were announced at an awards ceremony at Exeter Golf and Country Club.

And two south Devon chefs were recognised in the awards, with the main title of South West Chef of the Year being taken by Harrison Brockington of Gather, Totnes. Harrison also won the awards for Professional Chef of the Year and Best Dish.

Above: Harrison Brockington

Lucinda Ellicott, from Paignton, won South West Home Cook of the Year. For Lucinda it was fifth time lucky, having reached the finals four times in the last six years.

Above: South West Home Cook of the Year Lucinda Ellicott Image: Steve Heywood 

A team of top professional chefs from hotels and restaurants across the region, including Nathan Outlaw, Harriet Mansell, Hywel Jones and Chris Cleghorn, judged the competition at the closely fought finals at Exeter College.

South West Chef of the Year is widely regarded as one of the UK’s leading culinary competitions. It provides a platform for the region’s young chefs to build their profiles and an opportunity for the industry to promote the high standards of hospitality in the west country. It also aims to recognise the skill and creativity of professional chefs and amateur cooks; nurture up-and-coming professional and student chefs and provide a platform from which competitors can highlight their skills and develop their careers.

Michael Caines said: “Congratulations to all of the competition winners. We have seen some amazing dishes created by some truly talented chefs, all made with outstanding local ingredients that highlight the skill of our participants and the quality of produce here in the West Country.

"We’re very grateful to all of our sponsors and suppliers who continue to support our competition. Their commitment enables us to stage this annually and contribute to the nurturing of the next generation of west country chefs.”

Michael added: “This competition was set up 20 years ago as we were coming out of the foot and mouth crisis, which decimated so much of the farming and hospitality industry. We’ve weathered some storms since then, whether economic or, of course, the covid pandemic, and I’m sure there will be more to come, but we’re proud to still be here, promoting and supporting our industry and the wonderful south west region and its abundant food larder.”

The award winners are:

Overall South West Chef of the Year 2024 – Harrison Brockington, Gather, Totnes 

Professional Chef of the Year – Harrison Brockington, Gather, Totnes

Young Professional Chef of the Year (aged 19-24) up to junior sous chef – Keren Fry, Àclèaf, Boringdon Hall Hotel, Plympton

Student/Apprentice Chef of the Year (aged 16-19) – Toby Pyne, Truro & Penwith College and the Peterville Inn, St Agnes, Cornwall

South West Home Cook of the Year (aged 16+) - Lucinda Ellicott, Paignton

South West Junior Chef of the Year, an award for students aged between 11 and 16 – Lexie Colley from Churchdown School Academy, Gloucester.

Best Showcase of Regional Ingredients - Toby Pyne, Truro & Penwith College and the Peterville Inn, St Agnes, Cornwall

Best Presentation – Finn Clark, Exeter College and Àclèaf, Boringdon Hall Hotel, Plympton

Best Menu – Ollie Stonefrost, Lucknam Park, Bath

Best Dish - Harrison Brockington, Gather, Totnes

The awards were presented at a glittering presentation evening at Exeter Golf and Country Club, when previous winners and competition judges – four of whom were Michelin star chefs, prepared a sumptuous meal.