Michelin star chefs Nick Nairn and Paul Rankin are to judge the prestigious GNER Chef of the Year final, to be held on Thursday 28 September 2006 as part of the York Festival of Food and Drink.

The celebrity chefs, who are well known for their appearances on popular TV cookery programmes such as Ready Steady Cook, Masterchef and Great British Menu, will lead the judging panel and will provide top tips to the GNER
chefs as they cook-off against the clock.

Nick and Paul, who are long-time friends, will also compete against each other in their own cookery demonstration, which will be a unique event at this year's York Festival of Food and Drink.

Catering development manager, Nick Spencer, said: "We are absolutely delighted that both Nick Nairn and Paul Rankin will lead the judging panel at GNER's Chef of the Year final.  Both chefs are highly respected in the cookery
world and their expertise and guidance will be invaluable to our chefs. The popular GNER Chef of the Year competition is now in its seventh year and offers GNER chefs the opportunity to create their own menus and showcase
their skills in front of a live audience."

The four GNER finalists, who daily prepare high-quality meals in small kitchens on-board GNER's high-speed trains, each have two hours to prepare their own choice of three-course menu, suitable for serving in GNER's on-board
restaurant.

The winner of the competition will receive a Chef of the Year trophy and their winning menu will feature as part of GNER's on-board restaurant service.

The finalists are selected from regional heats covering GNER's catering depots at Edinburgh, London, Leeds and Newcastle.

Nick Nairn is Scotland's best-known chef and is a renowned ambassador of fresh Scottish produce and healthy eating. He recently cooked for Her Majesty The Queen and 350 guests at her 80th birthday banquet after winning BBC
TV's Great British Menu competition.   Nick is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines and has written nine cookery books. He also owns and teaches at the Nick Nairn Cook School near Stirling.

Paul Rankin runs a plethora of successful restaurants and cafes in his native Ireland along with his wife and fellow chef Jeanne, whom he has also written five cookery books with. His first restaurant Roscoff earned him Northern Ireland's first ever Michelin star in 1999. A familiar face on television, Paul has also presented his own programmes Gourmet Ireland and The Rankin Challenge. 

The GNER Chef of the Year final is the main highlight of 'First Class Food Day' at the York Festival of Food and Drink, which runs from 22 September to 1 October 2006. Visitors to the Festival Food Theatre will also have the chance to sample GNER's range of on-train wines during 'First Class Food Day', which is sponsored by GNER.