Judges for 2026
Regional Heat Judges
Ben Bartlett, Masterchef of Great Britain
Ben is one of the UK’s foremost demonstration chefs and has judged the regional heats of Young Seafood Chef of the Year for over 15 years. He is a Director of Love British Food and Board Member of the Master Chefs of Great Britain.
Ben was the first winner of Britain’s Best BBQ’er and is an award-winning author to ten cook books. His television appearances include This Morning, Ready Steady Cook, BBC Breakfast TV, and Good Morning America.
This year, Ben is organising his first food festival in July at Gatcombe Park by kind permission of HRH The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
Nikki J Hawkins, Independent Consultant to the Seafood Industry
Nikki has been a part of this Seafood competition since 2003 and she is from a hotel and hospitality background.
Having previously worked in developing the foodservice and events sector for the Sea Fish Industry Authority for over 18 years, she has an extensive knowledge of seafood, the catering sector, and culinary arts.
Previous Judges
Simon Hulstone
Simon is the Chef Patron of The Elephant in Torquay, where he has held a Michelin star since 2004.
His culinary journey began early, and he quickly rose through the ranks of competitive cooking. In 2003, he won the coveted Roux Scholarship, further cementing his place among the UK’s top culinary talents. He has represented the UK twice at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or, and captained both the British Culinary Olympics team and the English team at the Culinary World Cup in 2010 and 2012.
A passionate advocate for sustainable seafood, Simon has worked closely with Seafood from Norway, sharing his expertise through masterclasses and mentoring. His dedication to excellence and education makes him an invaluable part of this year’s judging panel.
Steven Bennett, The Lincolnshire Chef
Steven is known locally and nationally as ‘The Lincolnshire Chef’ and is renowned for his locally inspired cooking style.
His journey into the world of food and hospitality began after studying at the Grimsby Institute. After landing himself a job in the kitchen straight out of college, Steven worked his way up to head chef. Whilst having worked in gastro and Michelin-starred kitchens, his day to day life sees him running Healing Manor Hotel and driving forward his kitchen brigade, serving locally-sourced, seasonal food.
Steven’s outside catering company, which sits under The Lincolnshire Chef brand, is run from Healing Manor Hotel and uses the roof of the barn as its office and kitchens. In recent years, The Lincolnshire Chef has catered for the Battle of Britain 60th Anniversary Memorial Flight – a dinner for 200 war veterans with invitees including celebrity clients and the Prince of Wales, Prince William.
Gareth Bartram, Michelin star chef
Gareth studied at catering college in Grimsby and then landed a job in London at Gordon Ramsay’s Boxwood Café aged 19. He went on to work for three years at Jack’s Restaurant in Corsham, Bath, where he worked under Jamie Hirst and then moved to North Lincolnshire to work for Colin McGurran at Winteringham Fields (1*).
He worked his way up to Head Chef in 2018, and that same year they were awarded one Michelin star for the 2019 guide, which they have held ever since.
James Mackenzie, the Pipe and Glass
Raised in Filey on the North Yorkshire coast, James Mackenzie started his career in the kitchen at just 13 years old, before going on to train at Scarborough Technical College.
In 2006, James and his wife Kate took over the Pipe and Glass in South Dalton, near Beverley and have created a warm, comfortable Yorkshire country pub, where customers can drop in for a pint of local ale, tuck into classic ‘pub grub’ dishes or enjoy the highest standards of modern cuisine.
In 2010, the Pipe and Glass was awarded East Yorkshire’s first Michelin Star, an award that it has retained ever since. Other notable recognition and awards have followed, including the title of Michelin Pub of the Year, the Good Pub Guides ‘National Dining Pub’ and ‘Yorkshire Dining Pub’ of the Year, as well as the Good Hotel Guides ‘Inn of the Year’ and consistently featuring in the Morning Advertiser Estrella Damn Top 50 Gastropubs.
