When Callum Leslie was crowned Game Chef of the Year at the 2026 Eat Game Awards, it capped a “whirlwind” 12 months for the Yorkshire-born chef.
He went all the way to the final of the Great British Menu after winning the Yorkshire and North East heat with a menu which paid the ultimate tribute to his region.
The highlight of his menu was the 10/10 he received for his main course, which was inspired by Joseph Priestley’s Carbon Cycle, while his dessert was a taste of the moors.
He was also named as a finalist in the National Chef of the Year 2025 competition, who can name Gordon Ramsay and Mark Sargeant among its previous winners.
Leslie is the executive chef at the Michelin-starred Black Swan at Oldstead, and the Abbey Inn, Byland and his passion for game and love of local ingredients is clear for all to see.
During the season, their tasting menus are packed with game, served with locally foraged ingredients, and that’s a time when the whole team thrive.
“We offer an authentic experience, and it’s a real taste of where we are, and that’s why I love championing game so much,” he said.
“We have such a fortunate opportunity because we’re a tasting menu only restaurant, so we get to serve game to people even if they don’t order it.
“And because of that, we want it to be the best version of it, and that’s the most important thing. It needs to be accessible, it needs to be talked about more, and it needs to be on more people’s plates. And that’s what we champion at the restaurant.
“It’s not just about me, it’s the whole team. The guys joke that, you know, this time of the year they’re all like, can’t wait for game season again.
“I think it’s like Stockholm syndrome because then you get into the game season, everyone’s like, ‘ Why did we miss this?’ Because it’s a lot of work. It is a lot of work. It’s a lot of labour. But it’s a lot of love as well.”
The competition in the Best Chef category was fierce this year, as Leslie ended Mark Kempson, of Kitchen W8’s, winning run.
Kempson has won the award for the last two years, and the pair have worked together to share their love of game with a wider audience.
“I’m still kind of fairly new on the scene here, I think, compared to some of the guys, including Mark from Kitchen W8, said Leslie.
“He very generously invited me down to London last year, to do a little uh pop-up at his restaurant, and he did the same at our, and it’s just about getting more people talking about game and having a good time.”
The third finalist was the chef of the night, Rob Arnott of One Dining, who bravely put squirrel and jugged hare on the menu at this year’s event.
Both dishes got the seal of approval from the guests, including Leslie, who paid tribute to his fellow finalist.
“I’ve never seen squirrel on any menu that I’ve personally dined in. I’ve had it at home, but it was great to see it at this kind of event, and it was absolutely banging, and it’s one thing I am going to take away and maybe look at doing it on the menu.
“The hare was absolutely beautifully executed, and so was the rhubarb for dessert.”
