About The Guest Judges
The World Chelsea Bun Awards Bake-Off Competition has been judged by some outstanding local chefs and personalities.
We are delighted to announce that Mark Wogan and Alice Ryan will be in our judging panel for 2026.
Mark Wogan
Alice Ryan
Guest Judges
2026
Mark Wogan
& Alice Ryan
Mark is the co-founder of Homeslice Pizza and Symplicity Foods. He’s worked in the industry since 1989, starting out as a commis chef for Antonio Carluccio. He worked as a chef until 2003 ending as Executive Chef and shareholder of Longshot, which owned 5 venues including The Groucho Club. He and his brother have been business partners since 2003 creating a media company that managed some of the UK’s most successful TV and Radio talent. Returning to the hospitality industry, Homeslice was launched in 2013. It is regularly voted as the UK’s best pizza. In 2020 he launched Symplicity Foods with Neil Rankin, which is the first clean label plant based food producer in the UK. Symplicity is sold to over 1000 restaurants country wide and is available in Waitrose. He regularly contributes to TV and Radio on the subject, of food, hospitality industry and business. November 2023 he launched his popular podcast Spooning with Mark Wogan, which sees him interview top celebrities about their food loves and hates. In September 2024 he started a new weekly show for Talk TV, Grumpy Old Men. This has bucked the channels trend with universal appeal and 100% positive comments online. He presents a weekend show on Virgin Radio Chilled Saturday and Sunday 10-2pm. He loves all things food, health and fitness, mental health, charity, design, fashion and business. He sees himself as the unacceptable face of middle age and world’s oldest nepo baby.
Alice Ryan joined Iliffe Media, from Trinity Mirror where she was Head of Magazines & Features for the Cambridge News group, in 2017. Having started her journalism career in news, as a crime reporter, she moved into magazines and has been a national food writer for the last decade. Alice Ryan is now senior editor of award-winning East Anglian lifestyle magazine Velvet, and runs annual Food & Drink Awards in both Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.
Guest Judges
2022, 2023, 2024 & 2025
Lady Frederick Windsor
& Jane Asher
Patrons of The Children's Surgery Foundation
Lady Frederick Windsor became the Royal Patron of The Children's Surgery Foundation in 2019. In her professional life as an actress, Sophie is known by her maiden name Sophie Winkleman and says... "The amazing interventions this foundation suggests and then funds to make a sick children's lives less painful and harrowing is nothing short of inspirational. Of course, when a child‘s experience is improved the whole family’s stress is alleviated."
Actress, author and cake expert Jane Asher has been a patron of The Children's Surgery Foundation for many years and says... “This wonderful charity is very close to my heart: it does so much to alleviate the potential pain and distress involved when little ones have to go through the trauma of surgery. Baking some delicious Chelsea Buns is a delightful way of raising money to enable us to do more, and I hope lots of you will join us in having a go."
In 2023 Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent took the place of Lady Frederick Windsor as a judge of the 5th annual World Chelsea Bun Awards as Lady Frederick Windsor was unavoidably not available.
HRH Princess Michael visited Partridges flagship store in Duke of York Square, Chelsea, to help select the three winners in the ‘Live Tasting’ Competition of the World Chelsea Bun Awards 2023.
Partridges were delighted that Channel 5 decided to film the event as part of its Kensington & Chelsea: The Royal Borough series which was broadcast in August 2023.
Guest Chef Judge
2021
Regis Negrier
Group Executive Pastry Chef at Corbin & King, including Colbert in Chelsea
Regis started his career in France working in boulangeries, patisseries and Michelin-starred restaurants. He has worked extensively throughout the world in Lausanne, Milan, Mauritius, Frankfurt, Seoul and Beijing working for the Forte, Hilton and Kempinski groups. In August 2005, Regis joined Corbin & King as Head Pastry Chef for The Wolseley. He is now based at The Delaunay in the same role and has since established the Pastry team for the Group, too.
Guest Chef Judge
2019 & 2020
Michelin Star Chef Phil Howard
Owner of Elystan Street, Chelsea
Phil’s life as a chef started at Roux Restaurants in 1988, having decided not to pursue a career in Microbiology, a degree which he attained at the University of Kent. From there he moved on to train under Marco Pierre White at Harvey’s and Simon Hopkinson at Bibendum.
He opened The Square with Nigel Platts Martin in 1991 and remained at the helm for 25 years – with his food enjoying huge consumer success and great critical acclaim holding two Michelin stars for 17 years. In 2016 Phil Howard and Rebecca Mascarenhas opened Elystan Street in Chelsea and in 2019 it was awarded a Michelin star.