Nick Smith, head chef of Vacherin London, has been named Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year 2021 after fighting in front of a panel of judges at Le Cordon Bleu, London.

Chaired by Paul Ainsworth, the panel of judges, including Clare Smyth and Claude Bosi, awarded Vacherin London’s head chef, Nick Smith, as the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year 2021 and gave the successful young chef another award for the best dessert. Borthwick Castle’s head chef Derek Johnstone placed second, while third place was awarded to April Lily Partridge, the highest-ranked female finalist in the award’s history.

A VIP celebration event, bringing together all partners, finalists and judges, ambassadors at a London venue, is scheduled for April 2021.