The Eat Wild Craft Guild of Chefs Competition has returned following the “resounding” success of its inaugural year.
The competition aims to champion the use of wild meat in modern cooking while “spotlighting the UK’s young culinary talent”.
Launching on Monday 16th June 2025, the competition will invite catering college students and apprentice chefs from across the UK to test their skills, creativity, and understanding of sustainability through the lens of British wild game.
Competitors will be asked to submit two wild meat dishes; one bar snack/street food dish and one comfort food/everyday dish, with a photograph and brief description of each dish and the working methods used to create them. Seasonality and sourcing will be a focal point of the competition, said Eat Wild, and competitors will need to show as much skill as possible considering menu content, portion sizes, presentation and materials used.
A panel of judges will include Mark Reynolds, Louisa Clutterbuck, Leon Challis-Davies, Mark Kempson and Ian Page, as well as guest judge Sally Abe.
Submissions must be made by Thursday 31st July 2025 to competition@eatwild.co. Finalists will be announced at the start of the Autumn term in September, with up to six selected to compete in a high-stakes final during Great British Game Week on 6th November 2025, hosted at Unilever HQ, London.
“We hope that year on year the size of the competition will grow and inspire more young people to cook with wild meat.”
Louisa Clutterbuck, Eat Wild
Louisa Clutterbuck, CEO of Eat Wild, commented: “After the success of last year’s competition we are delighted to be continuing this fantastic opportunity for young people to engage in cooking with wild meat in new and exciting ways. It is brilliant to see how many colleges entered and we hope that year on year the size of the competition will grow and inspire more young people to cook with wild meat.”
Ian Page, ambassador for the Chef’s Guild, added: “I’m really proud that, in my role as ambassador for the Craft Guild of Chefs, I’ve been able to continue our partnership with Eat Wild for a second year. This competition is a fantastic platform for students to explore the sustainable use of wild meat, while also gaining a deeper understanding of how it supports our countryside, rural businesses, and offers a healthy, natural food source.”
Mark Reynolds, Craft Guild of Chefs chair, stated: “The Craft Guild of Chefs is delighted to again support this forward-thinking competition in conjunction with Eat Wild, which aims to highlight the thriving game cookery scene in the UK.
“Cooking with wild meat such as venison, partridge, or pheasant offers a fantastic culinary experience due to their lean qualities and rich flavour profiles. It’s especially important that young chefs are able to explore and experience all types of UK produce, including traditional and sustainable meat without first considering fast food as an option.”
Finalists will be awarded with a three-year membership to the Guild, lunch and a tour of Oakland Park game processing plant, a chef’s jacket and an Eat Wild apron. The winner will also be awarded a Netherton Foundry 12” Crotchta Pan with Hanging Stake, a shooting lesson on clays and a day in the kitchen with Mark Kempson of Kitchen W8 followed by dinner for four people.
Full competition guidelines can be found by clicking here.
