Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry, is once more sponsoring the Young Seafood Chef of the Year.

The annual competition, run by The Grimsby Institute and now in its seventeenth year, seeks out aspiring chefs and encourages them to cook with seafood. It offers participants a platform to demonstrate their flair and skills using sustainable seafood. The competition is open to all full-time and college based modern apprentice chefs under 25.

Aspiring chefs under the age of 25 have been competing in one of three regional heats at City College, Norwich (10th May), Sunderland College (17th May) and Coleg Llandrillo Cymru, North Wales (24th May). They worked in teams of two to produce a three course seafood menu using sustainably sourced seafood.

Finalists will compete against eight other teams of two in front of judges at the final, to be held at The Grimsby Institute, Grimsby, on 14th June. This year's final judging panel includes Daniel Clifford, chef patron of two-Michelin starred Midsummer House restaurant, Cambridge, and two-time winner of BBC Two's Great British Menu.

Nikki Hawkins, Trade Events Manager, Seafish, said: "Founded in 1996, the UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year continues to uncover incredible talent. The standard of cooking in this heat has been exceptional, with each team impressing us with the culinary skill and creativity in their dishes.

"This competition is highly regarded in the seafood industry. It offers ambitious young chefs the opportunity to demonstrate their ability and confidence in working with a range of sustainable seafood, and the chance to potentially boost their future careers. Today’s winners will now have their sights firmly set on the final in Grimsby, and we're looking forward to seeing what they have to offer the judges".

Paul Robinson, Curriculum Manager, Hospitality, at The Grimsby Institute, added: "The road to the UK Young Seafood Chef final is always hard-fought, and an invaluable learning experience for all of the young chefs involved.

"Competitions like this are not only a great way for colleges to show off the skills that their students have been developing and shine a spotlight on the next generation of chefing talent, but also to highlight their students’ knowledge and awareness of sustainable seafood practices".

The winning team of the 2019 UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year competition will receive a Koppert Cress 'Cressperience' trip to Holland, along with a Robot Coupe Robot Cook food processer, £500 per person, a £1,000 voucher that can be spent on Russums catering equipment for their college, a cookbook, a competition trophy, a competition medal and prize certificates. The winning recipes will feature on the Seafood Week 2019 website.

Seafish is the competition's headline sponsor, with Young's Seafood, Koppert Cress, Robot Coupe, Russums, Billingsgate Seafood Training School, Corney & Barrow Wines, The Big Prawn Company and Oak Ridge Hotel Group also providing sponsorship.