Killian Crowley is the Winner of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 UK & Ireland Competition

UPDATE 14/05/2018: The wait is over - the winner of S.Pellegrino Young Chef has finally been crowned! Discover which rising star took home the honour of winning S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 and watch all the young chefs of the competition in the 4 live streaming episodes covering the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 Grand Finale: a true display of extraordinary passion, skill and determination of the new talents in the world of gastronomy.

UPDATE 05/02/2018: Read the line-up of the Seven Sages, the top jury of world-class chefs who will crown the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 during the Grand Finale.

UPDATE 10/04/2018: Chef Alyn Williams of The Westbury is the new mentor for UK and Ireland and will guide Killian Crowley to the Grand Finale in Milan on 12-13th of May in Milan.

Killian Crowley has been named the winner of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 regional final for the UK and Ireland. He will now advance to the final of the global talent search to find the best young chef in the world in Milan in May 2018.

Following a day of outstanding performances from 10 of the UK and Ireland’s brightest young chefs on 20 November at Aveqia in London, Killian’s dish shone, earning him the title of the best young chef for the UK and Ireland.

A distinguished jury of chefs, who each hold a Michelin star, namely Angela Hartnett of Murano, Phil Howard of Elystan Street, Alyn Williams of The Westbury and Mickael Viljanen of The Greenhouse, Dublin, tasted and evaluated each of the semi-finalists’ signature dishes based on their adherence to the competition’s five ‘Golden Rules’: ingredients, skill, genius, beauty and message.

However, the chefs were unanimous in their final decision and the chef de partie from Michelin-starred Aniar in Galway, Ireland triumphed with his striking signature dish of turbot, kohlrabi and sea purslane.

Mentor judge, Angela Hartnett MBE said: “The calibre of dishes we tasted tonight was very impressive. Killian’s dish was a superb piece of cooking, it really ticked all the boxes – delicious food, perfectly executed with simplicity at the heart. The winning dish was a no-brainer, all four judges put it as their number one dish – it really shone tonight.”

Speaking of his win, an elated Crowley commented: “I’m very happy to represent Ireland and the UK; I have spent a long time practicing and sourcing all the produce. It’s not just me though, I have a great team behind me. So many people have been supporting me and I can’t believe that I have now actually won. I’m just over the moon.”

The UK and Ireland was the last region in the local competition phase of the third edition of S.Pellegrino Young Chef.

Now all 21 regions have an official young chef finalist ready to represent them at the Grand Finale in Milan in May 2018. There, 21 global finalists will face off in front of the Seven Sages, who will ultimately choose the best young chef in the world.

From the left: Chefs Mickael Viljanen, Phil Howard, the winner Killian Crowley, Angela Hartnett and Alyn Williams