The prestigious Compass Chef of the Year Competition has taken place (Monday 5th October 2026), with Blaine Shannon, ESS, named Senior Chef of the Year and Jamie Kennerley-Bradshaw, ESS, taking the title of Junior Chef of the Year.
The culinary contest was held as part of The Catering Innovation Show at the Business Design Centre in Islington and was conducted live, in a public-facing arena for the first time since 2018. Now in its 26th year, the annual competition showcases the company’s best-in-class culinary talent alongside an opportunity for learning, development and networking.
All 20 candidates were tasked with impressing the expert line-up of judges, which included last year’s Senior Chef of the Year winner, Lee Redman; Chef Steve Munkley MBE; and Michel Roux Jr.
The winners were announced as:
Senior Chef of the Year (chefs in the position of Sous Chef and above)
Gold - Blaine Shannon - ESS
Silver – Dang Pham - Restaurant Associates
Bronze - Rishi Patel - Levy
Junior Chef of the Year (chefs in the position of Chef de Partie level or below)
Gold – Jamie Kennerley-Bradshaw - ESS
Silver – Alex Barnes - Vacherin
Bronze - Fernando Carmeluti - Ireland
For the Senior Chef of the Year competition, all ten participants had two and a half hours to create a three-course meal using the contents of a mystery basket that they were informed about two days in advance. Menus were required to include a plant-based starter, a main course and a dessert.
Blaine’s meal included pearl barley risotto, with an onion soubise. His main course was monkfish, with squash, mushrooms and chicken butter sauce. Dessert was a mouthwatering carrot cake, with mozzarella cream and candied parsnip alongside pickled pear.
Meanwhile, the ten Junior Chef of the Year competitors had two hours to create a two-course meal consisting of a main course and dessert. As with the Senior Chefs, they were tasked with creating their menu using the contents of a mystery basket that they were told about two days in advance.
Jamie’s meal included a main course of chicken and mushroom ballotine, chicken and leek pie with pomme puree, braised carrot and leeks with chicken velouté. For dessert he created dark chocolate chip madeleines with toasted lemon sabayon and poached berries.
The competition is judged on several factors including the sustainability aspects of the dishes, such as seasonality and keeping food waste to a minimum. The mystery box element was set to challenge competitors to demonstrate creativity, skill and culinary innovation using seasonal produce alongside a pantry of herbs, spices and vegetables. The winners will now be taken on a culinary tour in Europe.
Senior Chef of the Year winner, Blaine Shannon said: “It was brilliant to take part in this event and to be named the overall winner. It was an intense, but fantastic experience and I loved being part of a live event. I worked hard to perfect my skills and this is testament to all that hard work paying off.”
Junior Chef of the Year winner, Jamie Kennerley-Bradshaw added: "Being named Compass' Junior Chef of the Year is a huge achievement and one that means a lot to me. The competition has helped me grow both personally and professionally, and it's inspired me to keep learning, developing my skills and striving for excellence in everything I do. Thanks to everyone who has helped me so far on my career journey."
Nick Vadis, Chief Culinary Officer at Foodbuy Group and Culinary Director at Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “This is always one of our biggest and best events of the year, and it was fantastic to see it back in a public arena for the first time since 2018. Our chefs learn so much from the experience, and it’s a brilliant opportunity for them to showcase their skills.
“Massive congratulations to Blaine and Jamie, who were both very worthy winners, and well done to all of our finalists. There was some incredible cooking on display and I was proud to see such a great demonstration of our culinary talent.
“We were also honoured to have the esteemed chefs, Steve Munkley MBE and Michel Roux Jr on our judging panel this year, as well as our very own Lee. We’re very grateful to them for their time and expertise.”
