Coleg Ceredigion student wins title of Wales Junior Chef 2026

The level of hard work Caitlin put in on a daily basis was exceptional, often spending three to four hours a day cooking, tasting, evaluating and refining her dishes to ensure she was performing at her very best.” James Ward, Coleg Ceredigion Professional Cookery and Hospitality Lecturer.

Coleg Ceredigion professional cookery and hospitality student Caitlin Meredith, has won the prestigious Junior Chef of Wales 2026 title at the ICC Wales in Newport.

As a result of her success, Caitlin will automatically compete in the semi-final of the UK Young National Chef of the Year competition.

She also receives a fully-funded package for the Young Chefs Programme at the Worldchefs Congress & Expo at the ICC next year, £150 worth of products from DPS Tableware and a set of engraved cooks’ knives from Friedr Dick.

The four candidates were tasked with devising a three-course dinner for four people using a minimum of eight Welsh products of geographical importance.

Caitlin, who studies at the college’s Aberystwyth campus, devised a starter of Dyfi prawn stuffed Cappelletti with dill, ricotta and laverbread served with prawn head jus, spring onion oil, roasted shallot puree and crispy Carmarthen ham. 

For the main course, she cooked a fillet of pan-fried Welsh beef, confit leek and parsnip puree, roasted green beans with Welsh Heather Honey, potato dauphinois with Caerphilly Cheese, beef kidney and braised button onions.

Her desert consisted of sticky toffee bara brith with caramelised apple ice cream, salty hazelnut tuille and white chocolate whipped ganache.

The 19 year-old works part-time for chef proprietor Gareth Ward at the two Michelin star Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms near Machynlleth.

Caitlin Meredith said: “I was so chuffed, I put a lot of work in and the weeks leading up to it were stressful, so it was really nice to have some validation and I’m very proud of myself. 

“I had a lot of help in college but I thought of the menu, I put a lot of work into it at home weeks beforehand. 

Caitlin is also in the WorldSkills UK Squad with a hope of competing at WorldSkills Shanghai with the support of her tutor James Ward and her employer at Ynyshir. 

Coleg Ceredigion professional cookery and hospitality lecturer, James Ward said: “We are immensely proud of Caitlin here at the college. 

“As she comes to the end of her third year in catering and hospitality, she has shown outstanding commitment, creativity and professionalism from day one. 

“To win this competition against some of the very best junior chefs in Wales under the age of 25 is a remarkable achievement and one that should not go unnoticed.

“The level of hard work Caitlin put in on a daily basis was exceptional, often spending three to four hours a day cooking, tasting, evaluating and refining her dishes to ensure she was performing at her very best. 

“That dedication truly paid off. The depth and balance of flavour in her dishes would not be out of place in a high-end restaurant. 

“She has developed into an excellent young chef with ambitious ideas, and it is genuinely exciting to see what the future holds for her. I wish her every success moving forward.”

Candidates were able to recruit a commis chef to help them prepare for the competition and Caitlin took along fellow student Freya Inman (pictured with Caitlin) to share the experience.

The competition was hosted by Culinary Association Wales. 

Photo Credit: Culinary Association Wales