Ten chefs - including The Grove’s Sam Rust, and two apprentice butchers - including Albert Rees Ltd’s Kieran Thomas earned praise from the judges in the National Chef of Wales final held yesterday (Monday).

Welsh Apprentice Butcher of the Year finalists Kieran Thomas, who works for Albert Rees Ltd, Carmarthen Market and Ollie Holden-Davies, who works for Neil Powell Butchers, Hay-on-Wye, were praised by the judges for their work on their first major competition.

Sponsored by the CAW and Cambrian Training Company, yesterday’s competition allowed the two butchers 30 minutes to cut a whole Welsh Lamb carcass into primal joints and one hour and 40 minutes to create a visually exciting display of products showcasing their skills and creativity.

The Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) organises the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC), which are hosted by the International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales) in Newport and finishes with an awards dinner and ceremony on tomorrow night (Wednesday).

Like Kieran and Ollie, the ten National Chef of Wales finalists must wait until the awards ceremony to discover who has won.

Sam Everton from Llangeler, Llandysul, a catering lecturer at Coleg Ceredigion, Cardigan, is bidding to win the Junior and National Chef of Wales competitions in consecutive years. The only chef to achieve this feat was Danny Burke, from Connah’s Quay who now runs Olive Tree Catering, Runcorn and was one of the final judges.

Wayne Barnard from Caerphilly, who works at Llechwen Hall Hotel near Pontypridd, is hoping to improve on his third place last year while Matthew Owen from Cardiff and Rebekah Wright, from Ebbw Vale, who both work at the Celtic Manor Resort, returned for another shot at the final.

They were lined up with Celtic Manor Resort colleagues Patrick Millard from Bargoed, Ionut Rosca from Newport, Gareth Jenkins from Fleur de Lis and Pratik Bhandarkar from Newport.

The other finalists were Sam Rust from Swansea, who works at The Grove, Narberth and Jordan Howorth from Baschurch, who works at Shrewsbury School for Independents by Sodexo.

The finalists were given three hours to cook three courses for 12 diners featuring GI Welsh ingredients and Cygnet Gin. The menu had to include a plant-based starter suitable for a vegan diet, a main course featuring two different cuts of GI Welsh Beef and a dessert featuring hot, cold and chocolate elements and a biscuit or tuille. (See the chefs’ menus below.)

“This competition is certainly gathering momentum, as we had more finalists than ever this year,” said WICC judging panel chairman Colin Gray. “It’s becoming iconic on the Welsh culinary calendar.

“There were high standards throughout and some standout dishes. We hope to have found a chef to represent us in the Global Chef Challenge at next year’s Worldchefs Congress & Expo which is being held in Wales and the UK for the first time.”

Skills Competition Wales classed and WICC skills classes will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday, when the Junior Chef of Wales and Vegan Chef of Wales

The WICC is open free of charge to visitors, including pupils of local schools, and this year combines the Castell Howell Welsh Food and Drink Show.

Rebekah Wright will contest the Welsh Vegan Chef of the Year final against Celtic Manor Resort colleague Byron Burns, from Pontypool and former National Chef of Wales winner Ryan Jones, from Maesteg, head chef at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff. They will cook a three course menu for six diners in two-and-a-half hours.

The competition, sponsored by Henley Bridge, challenges chefs to cook an appetiser with 50 per cent warm components, a main course with a minimum of three components, including microgreens and a dessert including chocolate, tea and two fruit puree products.

The Junior Chef of Wales finalists are Katie Duffy who works at The Halfway, Llanelli who finished third last year, Junior Culinary Team Wales captain Calum Smith who works at Shrewsbury School for Independents at Sodexo and Niruth Wijetunga and Gold Ayinia-Adeyemi, both from Newport, who work at Celtic Manor Resort.

The chefs will have two-and-a-half hours to cook a three course pescatarian meal for six diners with a plant-based starter suitable for a vegan diet, a main course featuring trout and a dessert including one hot and one chocolate element. The competition is sponsored by Cygnet Gin.

The winner will be automatically seeded into the UK semi-final of the Young National Chef of the Year.

Sponsors of the WICC are Castell Howell, Cambrian Training Company, Roller Grill UK, MCS Technical Products, Capital Cuisine, Churchill, Cygnet Gin, Henley Bridge, Food and Drink Wales, Kentaur, City & Guilds UK, Essential Cuisine, Ecolab, Hybu Cig Cymru / Meat Promotion Wales, Terry’s Patisserie Ltd, Willo Game, Fresh & Tasty Microgreens, Radnor Hills, Robot Coupe and Friedr Dick GmbH & Co.

Owen cooked a starter of hay baked Pembrokeshire cauliflower, butternut rarebit, caramelised cauliflower, hen of the wood, peanut and miso and pickled cauliflower. Main course was dry aged Welsh beef, roast garlic, maple carrot, pickled mustard seeds, crispy buckwheat, cavolo nero, ox cheek, potato and truffle espuma, peppercorn and Cygnet 22 Gin sauce and taragon dust. Dessert was caramelised white chocolate mousse, spiced ginger cake, pickled blackberry, Muscovado tuille, gingerbread and Cygnet Gin ice cream.

Everton cooked a starter of PGI leek and seaweed mosaic, puffed potato and yeast, followed by a main course of Ceredigion beef fillet, beef cheek tartlet, truffle and preserved allium. Dessert was 54% chocolate cremeux with Welsh honey butter, yoghurt and Barri rum.

Millard’s starter was gravalax of carrot, Cygnet Gin cured carrot, tofu, dill, waffled potato blini, carrot dust and lentil caviar. Main course was ribeye of beef, Cygnet Gin braised ox cheek, celeriac puree, charred baby leeks, sprouts, pickled golden beetroot and Red Dragon wine jus. Dessert was Bara Brith and butter, dark chocolate pudding, dark chocolate fudge sauce, brandy snap and green tea ice-cream.

Howorth’s starter was roasted beetroot pearl barley risotto, pickled candy beetroot, golden beetroot, Cygnet Gin caramelised apple balls, cumin spiced pumpkin seeds and red vein sorrel. Main course was thyme cured beef fillet, braised oxtail pithivier, pomme puree, confit baby leeks, heritage carrots, broccoli puree, carrot marmalade, pickled blackberries and beef jus. Dessert was butter chocolate tart, warm spiced financier, blood orange gel, yoghurt mousse, lemon balm, stem ginger curd and orange brandy snap.

Jenkins’ starter was leek and laverbread terrine, Cygnet Gin pickled pear, roast lemon and rosemary cracker, followed by a main course of Welsh ribeye, braised beef shin and green peppercorn ragu, puree, pastry crisp, herb poached carrot and red wine jus. Dessert was dark chocolate cremeux, smoked sea salt toffee sauce, honey and whisky toast and tuille.

Rust’s starter was fermented cashew ravioli, PGI leek, celeriac skin dashi, wild rice with Cygnet Gin and soy glazed celeriac skewer. Main course was PGI Welsh Beef fillet, parsnip, sauerkraut, peppercorns, PGI chuck beef burger with PGI Caerphilly cheese. Dessert was Mayan chocolate espuma, PGI Penderyn Rich Oak, peanuts, barbecued banana and passion fruit.

Prashant’s starter was oceanic delight tapioca with oyster mushrooms, coconut milk, nasturtium and herbs, followed by a main course of beef with roasted root vegetables and Cygnet Gin sauce, ribeye steak, fillet of beef, carrots, celeriac, turnip, nutmeg and beetroots. Dessert was espresso frozen parfait with coffee gin melee and chocolate soup.

Wright’s starter was beetroot, toasted cashew, picked blackberries, balsamic gel and walnut maple granola, followed by a main course of mustard and peppercorn glazed PGI Welsh steak, braised PGI Welsh short rib and Caws Cenarth Caerphilly tartlet, potato espuma, Blas y Tir leek dust and mustard jus. Dessert was honey cake, pink peppercorn tuille, cardamom sable, textures of grapefruit, Cygnet 22 Gin syrup and white chocolate cremeux.

Ionut Rosca started of chargrilled leek and Welsh seaweed leek glazed heart, leek caviar pearls, crisp and foam. Main course of pan roasted Welsh Beef fillet, Szechuan pepper short rib, rustic potatoes, heritage carrots and puree, Cygnet Gin, thyme and juniper beery jus. Dessert of dark chocolate terrine, fresh raspberry and gel, tarragon ice cream and white chocolate tarragon Hilltop Honey sponge and chocolate tuille.

Barnard’s starter was Katsu curry, Pembrokeshire potato dumpling, torched compressed Welsh leek, hay smoked walnut curd, Cygnet Gin pickled sea grapes, Shisho cress, pea miso bon bon and mushroom dashi. Main course was Penderyn Whiskey Marmite mustard glazed Rhug Estate beef sirloin, celeriac pave, carrot espuma, herb oil, beef bavette, bone marrow cannon, pan roasting sauce, Carmarthen Ham stinging nettle crisp. Dessert was white chocolate fudge cake, yoghurt sorbet, chocolate soil, pear caviar, Cygnet Gin poached pear, pear jelly, apricot pink peppercorn jammy dodger.