For ambitious chefs redefining what English food means today, we're delighted to offer a rare opportunity to gain national recognition and showcase the future of English cuisine through seasonality, provenance and creativity.
Chapel Down, England’s leading wine producer, has launched ‘Taste of England’, a new competition designed to champion the next generation of chefs shaping modern English cuisine. We're inviting chefs from across England to submit a three-course menu paired with Chapel Down sparkling wines, showcasing their interpretation of modern English cooking. Menus should celebrate homegrown produce, reflect a strong sense of place and demonstrate a clear, contemporary point of view.
The competition forms part of a wider gastronomy-led campaign for summer 2026, targeting a new generation of millennial consumers and strengthening Chapel Down’s presence within the UK food and drink scene. Activity includes partnerships with three of the UK’s leading food festivals, Pub in the Park, Sound Bites Festival and Big Feastival, alongside Royal Ascot, the world’s most Michelin-starred sporting event, the Top 50 Gastropub Awards, and a series of collaborations with leading restaurants across the UK.
Entries will be judged by a panel of industry experts and journalists, who will select three winners, that will be announced at an event at our Chapel Down winery estate this June.
The three winning chefs will have their menus brought to life through a series of high-profile consumer events across the summer, including chef takeovers at The Swan, our on-site, two AA Rosette restaurant. In addition, winners will receive a £3,000 cash prize and feature in a national PR and marketing campaign, with further opportunities to cook at key events throughout the season.
Liam Newton, Chapel Down’s Chief Marketing Officer, added: “At Chapel Down, we have always believed that great wine and great food are intrinsically linked through a shared sense of place. English cuisine is undergoing a real shift, with a new generation of chefs championing seasonal produce and redefining what modern English cooking looks like. ‘Taste of England’ is about giving those chefs a platform, while also showcasing the versatility of English sparkling wine as a natural partner to contemporary British dishes.”
Those chefs interested in entering our Taste of England competition should contact chapeldown@thesaucecollective.com before 10:00pm on 27th April 2026. Applications are open now.
