Kate Skinner wins Springboard FutureChef competition
Country Range Group has announced the winner of the Springboard FutureChef 2025/26 competition – Kate Skinner (pictured) from Aberdeenshire.
Designed to uncover and nurture the next generation of hospitality stars, the programme equips young people aged 12-16 with essential cookery and life skills, delivered through competitions, workshops and mentorship from professional chefs.
Now in its 27th year and sponsored by Country Range, the final once again showcased why the Springboard FutureChef is the UK’s largest and most influential culinary competition for school-aged students.
Martin Ward, chief executive of the Country Range Group, said: “The public catering and hospitality sectors are crying out for more chefs so to have had 16,000 young people taking part in the Springboard FutureChef this year is truly incredible and our group feel so honoured to be a part of it.
“It was good to see a couple of MPs in attendance as it’s these kinds of initiatives that the government should be supporting and funding in order to fill the skills gap and support the next generation of chefs.
“A huge well done to the organisers, mentors, judges, competitors, finalists, parents and a special congratulations to champion Kate Skinner.”
The first Springboard FutureChef competition took place in 1999, with 127 young chefs taking part. Since that inaugural event, over 225,000 students have been involved, and 24% of participants have gone on to pursue careers in hospitality.
Previous competitors who have used the competition to launch successful culinary careers include 2023 MasterChef: The Professionals champion Tom Hamblet, 2023 Roux Scholar winner April Lily Partridge, Graeme Cheevers, owner of the Michelin-starred Unalome in Glasgow, Ruth Hansom and Poppy O’Toole.
In a Springboard FutureChef first, this year’s National Final challenge was entirely vegetarian,with finalists required to work from the same basket of core ingredients and showcase how exciting plant-based cooking can be.
The 12 finalists went head to head under the watchful eyes of a panel of award-winning chefs including Brian Turner CBE, James Sommerin, Deepak Mallya, David Mulcahy, head judge Chantelle Nicholson and last year’s champion Carys Williams.
The 2025/26 Future Chef Champion
Born and bred in Aberdeenshire, Kate Skinner is 15 years old and began baking as a youngster with her granny. A student at Kemnay Academy, it was while completing her Duke of Edinburgh that her assessor noticed her cooking and immediately recognised talent. Recommending Springboard FutureChef, Skinner’s parents spoke to her school about the competition, and they helped her sign up.
Skinner didn’t have the benefit of a mentor in her first year competing but after chef Peter Thompson saw something special in her and offered to mentor her this year, it gave her the belief to compete again. She wowed judges with her skills, techniques and menu consisting of her main course of roasted celeriac & pearl barley risotto, celeriac purée, a spiced celeriac skin bhaji and the Paris-Brest dessert with almond praline cream and a spiced pear compote.
Skinner said: “I’m so happy to have won the national final of the Springboard FutureChef. It’s been an amazing experience competing alongside other talented young people. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and especially to my mentor Peter. Working with him has helped me learn new skills and his support and belief in me has meant so much. I’m very excited for what comes next.”
