WELSH senior and young chefs with an ambition to be named the best in Wales are being encouraged to enter the nation’s top culinary contests.

Applications are now open for the National and Junior Chefs of Wales 2027 competitions, with online entries closing on November 30 at midnight.

Chefs must be either of Welsh descent or currently working in Wales or studying towards a catering or hospitality qualification within the country.

National Chef of Wales entrants must be aged 24 or over on January 20, 2027, while the Junior Chef of Wales entrants must be aged between 17 and 23 on January 19, 2027.

They must submit their own creative, three course menu for four people, including recipes, giving the judges an insight into their culinary style, creativity and approach to food. Judges will select the finalists based on their applications.

Finalists in both competitions must cook a menu that features a minimum of eight GI Welsh products. Menus from the National Chef of Wales finalists must include a starter of Wild Sea Bass, a main course using two different cuts of GI Welsh Beef and a dessert featuring seasonal fruit, chocolate and a biscuit or tuille.

Junior chefs must include a starter featuring sustainable Welsh fish or seafood, a main course using two different cuts of GI Welsh Lamb and a dessert featuring seasonal fruit, chocolate and a biscuit or tuille.

Chefs in both finals, which will be judged by a panel of top chefs, will be given three hours to prepare, cook and present their dishes, with the ingredients sourced from principle sponsor Castell Howell Foods.

Organised by the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW), the competitions give the Welsh chefs selected for the finals the opportunity to test their culinary skills, creativity and passion against the best in front of an audience.