March marked the culmination of over seven months of tenacious effort for a group of talented teenagers, as the Springboard FutureChef National Final took place and Kate Skinner from Aberdeenshire was crowned the 2025/26 champion.
Designed to uncover and nurture the next generation of hospitality stars, the programme equips young people aged 12–16 with essential cookery and life skills, delivered through competitions, workshops and mentorship from professional chefs. Now in its 27th year and proudly sponsored by Country Range, the final once again showcased why the Springboard FutureChef is the UK’s largest and most influential culinary competition for school‑aged students.
This year the journey began for the 16,000 young hopefuls who entered the competition last September with schools running their own competitions before rigorous local heats and then regional finals. With this year’s final taking place on Monday the 23rd March at Capital City College, Westminster Centre following a special celebratory dinner the night before at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
In a Springboard FutureChef first, this year’s National Final challenge was entirely vegetarian with finalists required to work from the same basket of core ingredients and showcase how exciting plant‑based cooking can be. A tough enough challenge made even harder with the 12 finalists going head-to-head under the watchful eyes of a powerhouse panel of award‑winning chefs including Brian Turner CBE, James Sommerin, Deepak Mallya, David Mulcahy, head judge Chantelle Nicholson and last year’s champion Carys Williams.
The Final Hurdle
A tough test for even an experienced chef, the National Final required the competitors to complete a skills test and then prepare, produce and plate a two-course menu for four people.
The 45-minute skills test challenged the young chefs to prepare mini Paris-Brest choux pastries, which had to be creatively used in the dessert course.
The competitors had a further two hours to produce their main course, which had to showcase a ‘Hero’ vegetable and be served hot.
There was no set budget for the menus, but all ingredients available were stipulated and provided after being carefully selected by leading industry chefs.
The Judging Criteria
With a clutch of top chefs on hand to watch and judge the skills, dishes and flavours on show, there was no place to hide for the young hopefuls as they were marked out of 100 on their skills and techniques, dish composition, taste and flavour, creativity and presentation, plus dish and menu balance. In addition, head judge and pioneer of regenerative practices in the kitchen Chantelle Richardson was paying close attention to the finalist’s kitchen waste.
The 2025/26 Future Chef Champion
Born and bred in Aberdeenshire, Kate Skinner is 15 and began baking as a youngster with her granny. A student at Kemnay Academy, it was while completing her Duke of Edinburgh that her assessor noticed her cooking and immediately recognised talent. Recommending Springboard FutureChef, Kate’s parents spoke to her school about the competition and they helped her sign up.
Kate didn’t have the benefit of a mentor in her first year competing but after chef Peter Thompson saw something special in her and offered to mentor her this year, it gave Kate the belief to compete again. Showing true Scottish grit and determination, Kate wowed judges with her skills, techniques and menu consisting of her main course of roasted celeriac and pearl barley risotto, celeriac purée, a spiced celeriac skin bhaji and the Paris-Brest dessert with almond praline cream and a spiced pear compote.
Springboard Futurechef Champion 2025/26 Kate Skinner Said:
“I’m so happy to have won the national final of the Springboard FutureChef. It’s been an amazing experience competing alongside other talented young people. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and especially to my mentor Peter. Working with him has helped me learn new skills and his support and belief in me has meant so much. I’m very excited for what comes next.”
Amanda McDade, National Head of Careers and Education for Springboard, Commented:
“This year’s competition has been our biggest yet, with over 16,000 young people taking part – a true testament to the growing passion and talent within the next generation of chefs. Programmes like FutureChef are vital in nurturing young culinary talent and inspiring future careers in hospitality. None of this would be possible without the invaluable support of partners like Country Range. Their commitment enables us to continue delivering meaningful opportunities, industry connections and hands-on experiences for students across the UK. With their support, we’re confident that FutureChef will remain a transformative platform for young people, opening doors to exciting careers and helping to address the industry’s skills gap. Together, we’re not just shaping future chefs; we’re cultivating the culinary stars of tomorrow.”
Find out More
To find out more about the competition visit the Springboard Futurechef website.