A Royal Navy chef from Letchworth has been shortlisted for a Young National Chef of the Year Award.

CS Nicole Watt has made the final of the competition for the second year running, and is the only member of the military to have progressed so far.

She joined the Royal Navy in October 2021, having picked up her cooking skills while studying at North Hertfordshire College's Hitchin Campus.

Nicole is currently employed at Admiralty House in Portsmouth, the residence of the Second Sea Lord, and home of the Royal Navy Embassy.

When she qualified for the semi-finals, Nicole was serving on HMS Defender, a state-of-the-art destroyer.

She said: "I was given time while we were at sea to practise my dishes, which with the equipment on board was a challenge in itself, but I still managed to pull off a well-risen soufflé.

"Being in the final is great, making the final for a second year running is amazing.

"To do it representing the Navy too just makes it even more special."

Her mouthwatering menu for the semi-final included a starter of miso butter poached cod belly with an Asian mushroom broth; a main of star anise barbequed Thirkleby duck crown with roasted butternut squash; and to finish, a raspberry soufflé with coconut sorbet.

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Now, she will be competing in October's final against nine other competitors. 

They will be tasked with creating a starter dish using fresh Norwegian cod that is suitably garnished and served, and will have to fillet a whole cod as part of a skills test.

For the main course, the chefs will create a dish using whole, fresh duck using two different cuts, with consideration given to provenance, sustainability and sourcing.

And for dessert, they will have to come up with their own interpretation of the regional classic Manchester Tart to provide a pleasing finale to their menu.

After Nicole made it to the final, Fleet Caterer WO1 Carl Neville said: "Nicole’s achievements continue to make the RN Catering Services proud.

"Her competition peers come from such high-end establishments, which is a testament to the immense culinary talent we have in the Royal Navy. It’s amazing to see how well she performs.

"Nicole has worked so hard to refine her skills at every stage of the competition, and her determination alone makes her deserving of victory this year. BZ and good luck Chef."

The Young National Chef of the Year competition, launched in 2012, is run by the Craft Guild of Chefs, and includes the winners of regional and national competitions across the UK. It provides an opportunity for the competitors to showcase their culinary talent to the wider hospitality industry.