Monday the 23rd 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.
Martin Ward, Chief Executive of the Country Range Group, who was in attendance at Capital City College, Westminster Centre for this year’s national final, said:
“The public catering and hospitality sectors are crying out for more chefs so to have had 16,000 young people taking part in the Springboard FutureChef this year is truly incredible and our Group feel so honoured to be a part of it. It was good to see a couple of MPs in attendance as it’s these kinds of initiatives that the government should be supporting and funding in order to fill the skills gap and support the next generation of chefs. A huge well done to the organisers, mentors, judges, competitors, finalists, parents and a special congratulations to champion Kate Skinner. You should all be immensely proud.”
The first Springboard FutureChef competition took place in 1999, with 127 young chefs taking part. Since that inaugural event, over 225,000 students have been involved, and a remarkable 24% of participants have gone on to pursue careers in hospitality. Previous competitors who have used the competition to launch successful culinary careers include 2023 MasterChef: The Professionals champion Tom Hamblet, 2023 Roux Scholar winner April Lily Partridge, Graeme Cheevers, owner of the Michelin-starred Unalome in Glasgow, Ruth Hansom and Poppy O’Toole to name a few.
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.
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 2025/26 Future Chef Champion
Born and bred in Aberdeenshire, Kate Skinner is 15 years old 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 & 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.”
Chantelle Nicholson, multi-award-winning chef and 2026 Head Judge for Springboard FutureChef, said:
“I had a phenomenal day with some incredibly talented young people, and the quality of the food was mind-blowing. Kate’s celeriac dish was absolutely delicious – the pearl barley was cooked to perfection, the seasoning was excellent, and her inventive use of the celeriac skin made it a really outstanding plate of food. It’s exciting to see such promising talent coming through and I have no doubt we’ll be seeing great things from Kate in the future.”
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.”
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