Pub chefs Ian Boyd-Thorpe from the Peat Inn, Max Tempest Endicott from the Star Inn and Iain Dixon from the Nut Tree Inn, all made the penultimate round of the competition.
The 40 chefs who made the cut were selected from a high number of applications following the paper judging round, where the brief was to submit a creative lunch menu for four guests within two hours.
The menu had to reflect Asian, Oriental, modern British, modern European and Rest of the World cuisines and consist of a vegetable focused starter, a main course using locally sourced fresh white fish and a dessert using summer fruits, served either hot or cold.
The semi-final heats will take place at Sheffield College on Tuesday 10 June and at Le Cordon Bleu in London on Wednesday 25 June. Eight chefs will progress through to the final which takes place at the Restaurant Show on Tuesday, 7 October.
The competitions organiser and vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs said: “The standard of entries of this year’s competition is excellent and we’re really looking forward to seeing how the menus transfer from paper to plate.”
Gary Jones, executive head chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons and competition judge, added: “The Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year gives talented chefs the opportunity to compete, shine and stand out. I look forward to seeing who has mastered his or her craft to earn that career defining moment of becoming National Chef of the Year 2014.”