Truro teenager and St Mawes chef win at South West Chef of the Year

Hesali Galuge is 15. On Tuesday night (27 October) she stood up in front of some of the best-known chefs in the South West and collected the region’s Junior Chef of the Year award.

She wasn’t the only Cornish winner. At the South West Chef of the Year 2026 awards at Exeter Golf and Country Club, a chef from the Idle Rocks in St Mawes took Best Dish of the whole competition. The overall title went over the Tamar to Devon, to a 22-year-old from Gidleigh Park who walked away with three awards in one evening.

📷Hesali Galuge

A junior title for Truro

Hesali is a student at Penair Secondary School in Truro. She was mentored by Pete Murt from Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, and her winning dish was a spiced chicken supreme with avocado and coriander purée.

Her title was decided at the junior final earlier this month. Tuesday night was the moment she got to collect it, alongside chefs with years of professional kitchens behind them.

Michael Caines MBE DL, co-founder of the competition, said: “This is the only chef competition which caters for the very youngest chefs, through our juniors category, home cooks and professionals. From the standard of cooking displayed, it’s very clear that the future of the industry is in safe hands.”

📷Harrison Holmes's starter

Best Dish goes to St Mawes

Harrison Holmes, of the Reef Knot Restaurant at the Idle Rocks, won Best Dish for his starter of BBQ octopus, cauliflower, golden raisin and brown butter dressing.

He was one of two Cornish chefs in this year’s Professional final, alongside Tom Bennetts of Driftwood Spars in St Agnes.

📷Jacob Ashburton-Dunning cooking

The 22-year-old who took the top prize

Jacob Ashburton-Dunning, 22, of Gidleigh Park in Devon, was named South West Chef of the Year 2026 after a day of competition at Exeter College.

His three courses were lobster with squash purée, bisque sabayon and crispy kale, then venison with blackberry and spiced potato fondant, and finally a doughnut with honey roast pear and spiced mascarpone cream. The same menu also won him Young Professional Chef of the Year and Best Menu.

Michael said: “Congratulations to Jacob on this achievement. His menu showcased regional and seasonal ingredients and every element worked well together. To achieve this title at such a young age is particularly impressive and demonstrates real talent, creativity and maturity in his cooking. He’s a chef with a really bright future ahead of him, and we’re excited to see how his career develops.”

Jacob said: “I am honoured to receive this award amongst so many talented chefs. Whilst the competition was challenging, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I have learned so much from the experience. Thank you to all the sponsors, judges, and staff, for making the experience and thank you for all the people who pushed and supported me through this competition.”

📷L-R Bethany Martin, Finlay Maxworthy, Franco Ventriglia from Four Seasons Fruiterers, Ben Greenhalf, Jacob Ashburton-Dunning, Charlie Bowie, Matt Mason and Michael Caines

The full list of winners

Category winners

• Overall South West Chef of the Year 2026: Jacob Ashburton-Dunning, Gidleigh Park, Devon
• Professional Chef of the Year: Will Bradridge, Pastry Chef, Gidleigh Park, Devon. His menu was octopus with fennel and tomato, partridge with parsnip and pear, and Jerusalem artichoke with golden raisin and hazelnuts.
• Young Professional Chef of the Year: Jacob Ashburton-Dunning, Gidleigh Park, Devon
• Student/Apprentice Chef of the Year: Josh Goodman, Exeter College and The Huntsman Inn, Ide, Devon. He cooked pan roasted hake and white bean cassoulet, followed by Faisan à la Normande with celeriac purée and wild foraged mushrooms.
• Home Cook of the Year: Dave Morgan, Bristol, with pork tenderloin, Crown Prince velouté, cavolo nero, parsnip shoestring fries, apple and ginger gel and sage, then Blagdon Orchard honey ice cream, walnut and honey financiers, caramelised pear, blackberry gel and caramel miso sauce.
• South West Junior Chef of the Year: Hesali Galuge, 15, Penair Secondary School, Truro, Cornwall

Special awards

• Best Showcase of Regional Ingredients: Charlie Bowie, Barbican Kitchen, Plymouth
• Best Presentation: Finlay Maxworthy, The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath
• Best Menu: Jacob Ashburton-Dunning, Gidleigh Park, Devon
• Best Dish: Harrison Holmes, Reef Knot Restaurant, Idle Rocks, Cornwall

📷Paul Ainsworth, Nathan Outlaw and Michael Caines

Who was judging

Michael led the judging panel, which included Paul Ainsworth, Matt Mason, Hywel Jones, Nathan Outlaw, Chris Cleghorn and Ian Webber. The evening finished with a four-course dinner cooked by chefs who are judges or former winners of the competition, or both.

This was the competition’s 22nd year. Michael and Julie Harvey set it up in 2004 to champion professional excellence, bring on rising stars and celebrate the food and drink produced across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

Entries for South West Chef of the Year 2027 open next spring, with details on the South West Chef of the Year website.

📷Jacob Ashburton-Dunning

📷Jacob Ashburton-Dunning cooking

📷Jacob Ashburton-Dunning's dessert

📷Jacob Ashburton-Dunning's main course

📷Jacob Ashburton-Dunning's starter

📷Will Bradridge

📷Will Bradridge cooking

📷Will Bradridge's dessert

📷Will Bradridge's main course

📷Will Bradridge's starter

📷Josh Goodman

📷Josh Goodman cooking

📷Josh Goodman's main course

📷Josh Goodman's starter

📷Dave Morgan

📷Dave Morgan's dessert

📷Dave Morgan's main course

📷Hesali Galuge's dish

📷Charlie Bowie

📷Charlie Bowie cooking

📷Charlie Bowie's dessert

📷Charlie Bowie's main course

📷Charlie Bowie's starter

📷L-R Jeremy Wright from Luscombe, Charlie Bowie and Michael Caines

📷Finlay Maxworthy

📷Finlay Maxworthy's dessert

📷Finlay Maxworthy's main course

📷Finlay Maxworthy's starter

📷Michael Caines and Finlay Maxworthy

📷Lawrence O'Brien from Churchill, Finlay Maxworthy and Michael Caines

📷Harrison Holmes

📷Harrison Holmes and Michael Caines

📷Harrison Holmes cooking

📷L-R Rory Larkin from Lactalis Professional, Samuel Loader, Will Bradridge, Harrison Holmes, Tom Bennetts, Jordan Bartholemew, Seth Ward from Bidfood and Michael Caines

📷L-R Spencer Jones, Jacob Ashburton-Dunning and Michael Caines

📷Franco Ventriglia from Four Seasons Fruiterers, Jacob Ashburton-Dunning and Michael Caines

📷Franco Ventriglia from Four Seasons Fruiterers, Jacob Ashburton-Dunning, Matt Mason and Michael Caines

📷L-R Rory Larkin, Will Bradridge, Seth Ward and Michael Caines

📷L-R Mike Benfield from Forest Produce, Madison Williams, Josh Goodman, Luca Jokonya, Isaac Harris, Hywel Jones and Michael Caines

📷L-R Oscar Egbulam, Stephanie Jeffries, Monika Middleton, Dave Morgan and Riley Pearce

📷Judges at work

📷Chef judges at Exeter College's @34 Restaurant

📷Chris Jenks from Lympstone Manor, Hesali Galuge and Michael Caines