Phil Vickery has announced the winner of Coeliac UK’s Gluten-free Chef of the Year competition, following a tense and keenly fought cook off by the six finalists last week.

For the second year, the competition was run in association with the Institute of Hospitality and the Craft Guild of Chefs and with Unilever Foodsolutions UK & Ireland, who made their culinary business development kitchens in Leatherhead available for the live cook off.

The competition to design a three course gluten-free meal aims to raise awareness and highlight the need for increased provision of gluten-free menu options for the 1 in 100 people in the UK with coeliac disease. There were two categories; Gluten-free Chef of the Year, for professional chefs, and Up and Coming Gluten-free Chef of the Year, for catering students under 23.

Entrants were required to submit a three course gluten-free menu demonstrating both creativity and a clear understanding of what people with coeliac disease would like to see on a menu when eating out. The three finalists from each category then had to cook their menu live for celebrity chef and Coeliac UK Food Ambassador, Phil Vickery, and a panel of judges, including Adam Gray, The Red Lion and Shires Cookery School and Daniel Ayton, Crowne Plaza London Saint James & Taj 51 Buckingham Gate.

Following 90 minutes of intense cooking, and much debate and deliberation by the judges, Jason Church from Surrey was chosen as the Gluten-free Chef of the Year - topping his performance last year when he was runner up in the competition and, student Valerio Grimaldi-Plant was chosen as the Up and Coming Gluten-free Chef of the Year.