The search for the UK’s best young chef has concluded with Carys Williams, 16, from Pontarddulais School, Swansea, emerging as the 2025 Springboard FutureChef champion following an intense final in London.

Held at Capital City College – Westminster on 24th March, the final saw 12 of the most talented young chefs from across the UK compete for the prestigious title in Springboard’s annual competition.

Each finalist had 2 hours and 45 minutes to prepare a main course and dessert for a panel of industry-leading judges, including Adam Handling, Alain Roux, Brian Turner, Chantelle Nicholson, Cherish Finden, and 2024 winner Reese Ventura.

Since the regional final, Carys has been working at her Mentor, Michelin star Chef James Sommerin’s restaurant on a Saturday and has also put 60 hours of training in designing and refining her dishes from the mystery basket of ingredients.

Carys will be treated to a spectacular experience courtesy of first prize sponsors Sodexo. This will begin with a behind the scenes tour of Eton College with afternoon tea, followed by an evening meal at a top restaurant. The next day, Carys will be taken to the world-famous Royal Ascot event to work behind the scenes, rub shoulders with renowned celebrity chefs and the award-winning Sodexo Live culinary team at Ascot Racecourse.

Discussing her win, Carys said, “It’s been an amazing experience and one I‘ll never forget. I was really shocked that I won, but it shows that hard work does pay off.”

Celebrating Carys’ success, her mentor James Sommerin, said: “Carys is a really astute young lady and she’s done amazingly well. It’s quite complicated to use mackerel and you have to be precise with your timings. She’s trained hard and totally thrown herself at it- she’s practiced and practiced and practiced. I’m so happy, it’s unbelievable!”

Springboard FutureChef head judge, Adam Handling of Frog by Adam Handling said: “I thought today was fantastic. Being part of this competition and seeing the progression each year is incredible. Everything was really well done. This is the future, right here, well done.”

Judge Sabrina Gidda, chef and author spoke about Carys’ dish, saying “It was really well-balanced, showed great commitment to prep and she really thought about the technique as well as the enjoyment of the dish. It was a joy to eat.”

Addressing all of the winners, judge Cherish Finden said “Wow – you cooked like pros today. It was mind blowing, seeing how you performed.”

Judge Alain Roux added that “It was a brilliant day and lovely to see the young chefs working well. Judging was fun!”

Chris Gamm, CEO of Springboard, highlighted the competition’s impact: “For over 25 years, Springboard FutureChef has been a platform for young culinary talent, equipping aspiring chefs with essential skills and industry connections. Many past competitors have gone on to achieve remarkable success, including running their own restaurants and earning Michelin stars. With continued support from industry leaders and top chefs, Springboard FutureChef is more than just a competition – it’s a launchpad for the next generation of culinary stars.”

Springboard FutureChef is a school-based programme designed to inspire and develop young culinary talent. Now in its 26th year, the competition has engaged more than 250,000 young people aged 12-16, helping them gain essential life skills while encouraging careers in hospitality.

This year’s competition challenged budding chefs with themes including sustainability, plant-based cuisine and zero-waste cooking.

Amongst the guests at the Springboard FutureChef final 2025 was Ruth Hansom – 2012 Springboard FutureChef participant and top restaurant owner, Poopy O’Toole – the self-entitled ‘Potato Queen’ of Poppy Cooks Instagram fame, Bobby Odu – 2017 Springboard FutureChef competition participant and owner of Bobby Bakes, and multi award-winning patron chef Graeme Cheevers. Graeme took part in the Springboard FutureChef competition back 2003 when he was 15. He was already a Head chef by age 23 and went on to achieve a Michelin star. Graeme commented that it was “nice to see loads of young kids being able to cook well. It’s a lot better standard than I was at that age”. He noted that it was great to see a lot of girls involved in the competition, as the industry needs more female representation.