New competition launched for aspiring chefs in North East

Dubbed Plated, the initiative offers a prize pot of £10,000, designed to give young chefs in the North East and beyond a national platform to exhibit their culinary talents.

The competition is a collaboration between Goodfellow & Goodfellow, based in County Durham, and TRUEfoods from North Yorkshire.There is a prize pot of £10,000 (Image: Plated)

Valda Goodfellow, co-founder of Goodfellow & Goodfellow, said: “In our experience, it’s only the chefs at the top that get any profile.

“We think there’s a really exciting next generation of chefs out there – and we want to give them the opportunity to be seen on the national stage.”

The competition has already received backing from renowned Michelin-starred chefs, including Jason Atherton, who will be part of the judging panel.Valda and Paul Goodfellow (Image: Plated)

Ms Goodfellow said: “We want to give them that visibility early on and get them involved in something that’s high profile.

“Whether that’s Indian food, French food, modern British, or casual dining – you can still make food look beautiful on the plate.”

Professional chefs aged 30 or under are encouraged to participate. Interested chefs must submit their best photos of plated dishes by March 10 by emailing plated@goodf.co.uk.Calling all aspiring chefs (Image: Plated)

Each contestant may submit up to three entries, with each entry allowing for three images or videos.

The panel will select the top six finalists who will compete in a live-streamed cook-off.

This cook-off is scheduled for April 26 at the TRUEfoods Development Kitchen in Ripon, North Yorkshire.

The finalists will face a skills test focused on plating presentation and taste, using the dish they submitted as a photo or video.

The competition promises a substantial reward for the winner, who will receive £7,500 in cash, a paid trip to Costa Nova’s manufacturing plant in Portugal, a Michelin-starred dining experience in Portugal, a photoshoot for G&G’s industry publication, Portfolio, and a decorated Trophy Plate.

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Paul Goodfellow said: “Talent has to have a platform somewhere, and we want to be part of that and show that we care about the next generation coming through, give them more of an opportunity to show how good they are and do something fun and creative.”

The competition is sponsored by Costa Nova, a provider of tableware for the hospitality industry.

Chefs interested in entering can find more information, including terms and conditions and submission guidelines, at https://www.goodf.co.uk/blog/plated-competition/.