Caernarfon Rugby Club claims the UK's Rugby Kitchen of the Year
Caernarfon Rugby Club in north Wales has won the UK's Rugby Kitchen of the Year, beating hundreds of entrants to claim the top spot in the first edition of the competition. The award, run by Rugby Journal in partnership with Rhino Rugby and The Food Heroes/Koffmann's Potatoes for Chefs, celebrates the volunteers who fuel players and supporters every match day. Long-serving club member Keith Parry said the news came as a "shock" but was "fantastic," particularly because the prize includes a year's supply of Koffmann's chips alongside rugby equipment from Rhino Rugby.
A judging panel anchored by chef Pierre Koffmann
The judging process drew on a mix of famous chefs and rugby stars, with French chef and former rugby player Pierre Koffmann casting the deciding vote. "The judging process was incredibly difficult, but we were able to select an overall winner in Clwb Rygbi Caernarfon," Koffmann said, praising the club as "truly worthy winners." Koffmann added that "running a rugby kitchen at 84 years old is amazing," underscoring the human story behind the verdict.
A 50-year kitchen operation serving hundreds each weekend
Parry, 84, has volunteered with Caernarfon Rugby Club for more than 50 years and leads the kitchen alongside a team of volunteers. The club feeds around 50 youth players on Friday evenings and hundreds of children and young people over the weekend, with Parry telling Radio Cymru the menu typically includes "pizzas, hot dogs and chips, and jacket potatoes with beans and cheese," along with bulk dishes such as "pasta bake, chilli con carne and bolognese." The club goes through "about 15 to 25 bags of chips every weekend," making the year's supply of chips a practical boost rather than a symbolic one.
A wider volunteer effort behind every match day
Parry credited local councillor Ann Hopcyn as the most hands-on helper in the kitchen, noting that many others — particularly parents on Sunday mornings — also step in. "Whenever we need help, someone steps forward," he said. Beyond the kitchen, Parry has served as a steward, marked out pitches and generally "helps with whatever needs doing" over the decades, watching multiple generations grow up and take on roles at the club.
Prize details and the year's chip supply
The award package combines Koffmann's branded chips with rugby equipment from Rhino Rugby, marketed through the Food Heroes partnership. On learning of the prize, Parry joked that he was "thinking of opening a chip shop," reflecting both the scale of the club's weekend consumption and the relief of having the staple covered for a full year. The competition's first iteration drew hundreds of rugby clubs, though Parry said the club did not know who had nominated them, calling the win "a shock to us too."
What remains uncertain
The sources do not specify the total number of entries beyond "hundreds," the full list of judging panel members, or any plans for future editions of the Rugby Kitchen of the Year competition.
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