Eathan Buchanan, 21, a Level 6 Bakery & Patisserie student, from Ayrshire College has been announced as the winning Assistant Chef at Knorr Professional’s Scottish Student of the Year Competition 2025.
Eathan was part of two Ayrshire College teams who were competing in the annual contest showcasing the best of Scotland’s up and coming culinary talent. He was judged on two skills tests: vegetable cuts and filleting fish. The overall winning team was led by Head Chef Nahui Keiss of Forth Valley College, assisted by Anastasiia Severina, and saw them win an all-expenses paid educational food trip to Italy.
The two Ayrshire College teams consisted of Head Chef Louise Smith, 40, and Assistant Chef Eathan Buchanan, 21; Head Chef Graham Watson, 35, and Assistant Chef Taylor Carrol, 18. Graham and Taylor are both Level 6 Professional Cookery students, while Louise and Eathan are Level 6 Bakery & Patisserie students.
The competition featured five teams of two, each consisting of a Head Chef and an Assistant. Each team had to complete a skills test and delivering a two-course meal, based on this year’s competition theme of wellbeing and the connection between nutrition and health.
Annemarie Farr, hospitality lecturer at Ayrshire College, who worked with the students to prepare them for the contest, said Eathan’s skills “shone on the day”.
She said: I was absolutely over the moon to have two teams representing Ayrshire College in the finals of Scottish Student Chef of the Year Competition. Both teams worked tirelessly to plan and practice their dishes while juggling full time college, work and family commitments. On the day, I was so proud of how they conducted themselves. They are great ambassadors for the hospitality department and the College. Having Eathan achieve the Assistant Chef award was very well deserved, he shone on the day.”
Eathan said: “I was delighted to win the Assistant Chef award. I’d put in many hours of practice to reach the standard of skills that I showed on the day and all the hard work paid off. Louise was a great Head Chef and we really worked well together. That was my first competition and didn’t know what to expect but it was an amazing experience.”
Eathan’s Head Chef Louise Smith, 40, added: “It was an excellent day and great honour to have made the final. Competing against the best student chefs in the country was a fabulous opportunity and a brilliant way to implement the skills we have learned at college.”
Glasgow born chef Gary Maclean - competition ambassador and judge - commented: “The standard of cooking in this year’s competition truly blew me away. Our theme was ‘Feel Good Food,’ and what impressed me most was how the students not only embraced the concept but also poured their passion into their dishes. The most important thing for me was that they felt proud of what they presented, and you could see that in every plate. The creativity, skill, and heart they put into their cooking were beyond exceptional.”
Joining Gary on the judging panel was head judge James Brown, Executive Chef at Unilever Food Solutions, and Bidfood Scotland’s Food Development Chef, Martin Ross.
Knorr Professional’s Scottish Student Chef of the Year competition is now in its second year and aims to discover and celebrate the next generation of young Scottish chefs. The competition provides a platform for students to develop their skills and promote professional growth, ensuring they are fully equipped to succeed in the fast-paced, competitive culinary world.