21-year-old Anya Swift has been named as one of three finalists for the Yorkshire Life Magazine's 'Young Chef of the Year' award.
Knaresborough chef named as finalist for 'Young Chef of the Year' award A budding Knaresborough chef has been named as one of three finalists hoping to scoop the title of 'Young Chef of the Year'. 21-year-old Anya Swift, who is a chef at Mother Shipton Inn, is hoping to be crowned Yorkshire Life Magazine's Young Chef Of the Year 2023. Anya has made the final three of the competition alongside Harry Blades from The Grand in York and Ben Bell from Yorebridge House in Wensleydale. Yorkshire Life Magazine's Food and Drink Awards take place annually to recognise the best in the industry from across the region. Delifresh Young Chef of the Year Anya is also competing in the Delifresh Young Chef of the Year competition, which is open to anyone under the age of 25, after reaching the latter stages last year. The overall winner will win a food trip to Paris alongside marketing help from Delifresh throughout 2023/24. Speaking about her entry last year, Anya said:
"As a young female chef, I have seen how male dominated a kitchen environment can be. "To win this competition would be an opportunity to show my skills and begin to carve out a place for both myself and other young women in the industry."[caption id="attachment_79914" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Anya Swift alongside the other entrants for Young Chef of the Year 2022.[/caption] To enter, young chefs are asked to document a seasonal dish, telling judges why they created it, what inspired them and what ingredients were used. Entrants who continue to progress through the competition eventually reach a regional cook off heat, which Anya will contest in the coming weeks. Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.