Chefs urged to enter 2025 Welsh International Culinary Championships
Chefs across Wales are being encouraged to enter the prestigious Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) 2025, which will take place at ICC Wales in Newport from January 20-22. Organised by the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW), the event serves as a three-day showcase of Welsh culinary talent and innovation.
The CAW is urging chefs to sign up for the National and Junior Chef of Wales competitions, with a pre-registration deadline of October 7. All participants must attend a mandatory virtual briefing session before submitting their menus by November 15, 2024.
For the National Chef of Wales competition, contestants aged 24 or over will need to prepare a three-course dinner for 12 diners. The menu must feature Welsh ingredients and Cygnet Gin, with courses including a vegan-friendly starter, a main featuring two cuts of GI Welsh Beef, and a dessert with chocolate elements.
The Junior Chef of Wales competitors, aged 16 to 23, will create a three-course pescatarian meal for six diners. The menu must include a vegan-friendly starter, a main featuring Chirk Farm Trout, and a dessert with both hot and chocolate elements. The winner of this contest will be seeded into the UK semi-final of the Young National Chef of the Year.
Additionally, the Vegan Chef of the Year competition, sponsored by Cygnet Gin, will challenge chefs aged 17 or over to create a three-course meal entirely free of animal products. The dishes must include innovative ingredients such as microgreens, chocolate, and fruit purees.
All chefs competing in these categories must be of Welsh descent or work or study in Wales.
Arwyn Watkins, OBE, president of the Culinary Association of Wales, said: “We are searching for chefs to showcase their knowledge, culinary ability, and innovation, to represent Wales at the Global Chef Challenge Finals in 2026, hosted right here in Wales.”
The National Chef of Wales final will take place on January 20, while the Junior Chef of Wales and Vegan Chef of the Year finals will be held on January 22. Winners will be announced at a Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on the evening of January 22, where diners can reserve tickets to sample the finalists’ creations.
The event also features open competitions for apprentices, students, and experienced chefs, including the Riso Gallo Young Risotto Chef Challenge, Cygnet Gin Cocktail Mixology, and more. There will also be awards for the best college, with Coleg y Cymoedd defending their 2024 title.
The WICC will also host the Wales Hospitality Finals of Skills Wales/SgiliauCymru and include a Welsh Food and Drink Expo, offering opportunities for chefs and food producers to connect and showcase their talent.
Sponsors of the event include Food and Drink Wales, Kentaur, Cygnet Gin, Castell Howell, and more. For more details on entering the competitions or attending the gala dinner, visit the Culinary Association of Wales website.
