Braehead Foods in association with specialist venison producer Highland Game are pleased to announce the finalists in the search for the 2018 Game Chef of the Year competition.

The finalists are:

Barry Gamble - Chelsea Market, Glasgow

Grant Holloway - The Lovat, Loch Ness

Graham Mitchell - Cock & Bull, Balmedie

Jonathan Ferguson - Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder 

Tom Maine - Black Bull Moulton, Richmond, Darlington

Anastasios Nefitos - The Newport Restaurant, Newport-on-Tay, Fife

Allesandro Panella - One Aldwych, London

Colin Layfield - Searcys Grand St. Pancras, London

Ross Cochrane - Rothesay Rooms, Ballater, Aberdeenshire

Michael Wickham - Royal Automobile Club, London

Now in its seventh year, the competition involves a nationwide search to find the best upcoming, professional game chef with entries flooding in from all over the UK.

Applicants were required to submit two fresh and innovative game based dishes, one starter and one main course using some of the finest game produce the UK has to offer, from which the judges selected their 10 finalists.

They will be required to prepare, cook and present their two game dishes to a panel of judges at The Cook School Scotland in January. The judging panel comprises of regular Game Chef judges and Michelin star chefs Ian McAndrew and Paul Gayler MBE, along with Michelin star chefs Shay Cooper from The Goring, London and Gary Jones of Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire.

Last year's top prize was claimed by Steven Walker from Loch Lomond Golf Club with Olivia Baggley from Wilton's Restaurant in London and Nick Nozeman from The Lovat in Loch Ness named as joint runners up. Steven's winning menu included a starter of hare saddle with parsley sponge, parsley gel, salt baked celeriac fondant, celeriac puree, chocolate oil and cocoa nibs but his main course stole the show. He served woodcock breasts and legs with onion squash puree, pancetta lardons, onion shells, gnocchi, morel mushrooms, sprout leaves and a red wine jus, delighting the judges.

The cook off will take place on Monday 29th January when the chefs will fight it out for the chance to be crowned Game Chef of the Year 2018 with the prize being a once in a lifetime trip to Sweden to hunt wild boar and all finalists will receive £100 cash.

Chief executive of Braehead Foods, Craig Stevenson said: "The competition has been running for many years now and each year the number and quality of entries exceeds our expectations. We want the chefs who are working and creating delicious recipes using game meats across the UK to be recognised for what they do."