Copa Jerez, the prestigious international gastronomic competition, announces the three chef and sommelier teams to compete in the UK finals later this month.
The 2026 Copa Jerez UK drew an impressive number of entries from teams across the UK, including Scotland, Yorkshire and Northumberland. Head judge Douglas Blyde commented “Reducing eleven entries to three was agonising. I returned to several repeatedly because some of those left out contained ideas I would have happily eaten and drunk’.
The three chef and sommelier teams who came on top and will compete at the 2026 UK finals of Copa Jerez are:
- Chef Aaron Blais and Sommelier Léonard Lievin from The Ritz
- Chef Higinio Machado and Sommelier Ben Cardwell from Labombe by Trivet
- Chef Karl O’Dell and Sommelier Jiachen Lu from Cord by Le Cordon Bleu
The three teams will present their expertly crafted menus paired with Sherry wines to judges at the live finals on Monday 28 September, at Orrery by Pierre Minotti in Marylebone.
The judges are Chef Pierre Minotti who recently became Executive Chef at Orrery by Pierre Minotti having achieved 2 Michelin stars at Alex Dilling at the Hotel Café Royal, Spanish sommelier Julio Sierra, Group Senior Sommelier at The Evolv Collection, 2024 Copa Jerez UK winning sommelier Zoé Donadio and panel chair, drinks expert and restaurant writer, Douglas Blyde.
Teams will prepare and cook their dishes from scratch and present them to the judges alongside their proposed Sherry wine pairings.
