Avenance executive chef at Lloyd’s of London, Hayden Groves, has been awarded the accolade of Contract Catering Chef of the Year at this year’s Craft Guild of Chefs awards. The Craft Guild of Chefs awards are among the most prestigious in the industry as nominees are judged by their peers.

As well as undertaking core duties at Lloyd’s of London (where his team of 15 full-time and 5 part -time employees cater for 2,500 people every day), he is also personal chef to the chairman of Lloyd’s chairman, Lord Levene. In 2005 he cooked for the Queen at the Lloyd’s building and he and his team has prepared banquets for the royalty of both Norway and Greece. Hayden said of the award, “This is a real highlight of my career. I’m honoured to have been given this award, but it’s not just for me, it’s for my team who help and support me and whose commitment I really value.”