Rail chefs from Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds and London are to compete for the prestigious title of GNER Chef of the Year at the York Festival of Food and Drink on Thursday 28 September 2006.

Michelin star chefs Nick Nairn and Paul Rankin, will lead the judging panel, which will see GNER chefs Colin Pattie of Edinburgh, Dave Buchanan of Newcastle, Steve Baxter of Leeds and Adrian Johnson of London in a competitive cook-off against the clock. The four finalists, who daily prepare high-quality meals in small kitchens on-board GNER's high-speed 125mph trains, will each have two hours to prepare their own choice of three course menu, with a 'Best of British' theme, suitable for serving in GNER's on-board restaurant.

The celebrity chefs are well known for their appearances on popular TV cookery programmes Great British Menu, Ready Steady Cook and Masterchef. They will offer top tips and expert advice to the GNER chefs as they create their
menus using fresh, British produce. Nick and Paul, who are long-time friends, will also compete against each other in their own improvised cookery demonstration, which will be unique to this year's York Festival of Food and Drink.

GNER's catering development manager, Nick Spencer, said: "The Chef of the Year competition gives GNER's most talented chefs the opportunity to demonstrate their professionalism, skills and imagination under pressure and the watchful eyes of two of the UK's top chefs. This year's cook-off promises to be a very competitive and exciting event and we are honoured that Nick Nairn and Paul Rankin will be the main judges at this year's final."

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 judging panel also includes GNER's chief executive officer, Jonathan Metcalfe and Eugene McCoy of North Yorkshire's Tontine restaurant.The winner will receive the Chef of the Year trophy and their winning menu will feature as part of GNER's on-board restaurant service.The Chef of the Year's winning menu will also feature as part of GNER's on-board restaurant service.

The Chef of the Year competition is the main highlight of the GNER-sponsored 'First Class Food Day', at the York Festival of Food and Drink, which runs from 22 September to 1 October 2006.