The prestigioUs roux scholarship competition which sees chefs compete to win their choice of one of two star prizes announced 18 regional finalists – and they include chefs from northumberland and north yorkshire.
Chef Liam Smith from Northumberland’s Pine Restaurant and Adam Jones from Horto Restuarant inside North Yorkshire Hotel, Rudding Park, have made it through to the regional finals for The Roux Scholarship.
The Roux Scholarship is one of the UK’s most prestigious competitions for chefs, with the winner being able to choose between two-star prizes: to cook and train under the supervision of a leading chef at a prestigious three-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world (Britain included!) for up to two months. Or, a programme of training opportunities tailored to the individual winner’s career goals and gaps in their skill set, to the total value of £12,000.
This year, 14 of the 18 finalists are new to the competition and they hail from establishments as far afield as Scotland and Cornwall.
The 18 chefs, and two reserves, were selected from their written recipes that had to use one short loin of free-range gilt pork, two fresh pork kidneys, crackling and sweet potatoes.
They were submitted anonymously to the judges, who took part in the Recipe Judging day at The Waterside Inn on February 21. The 18 finalists will compete in two regional finals which will be held simultaneously on Thursday, March 7 at University College Birmingham and University of West London, Ealing.
Chairman Michel Roux Jr said: “The successful chefs sent in a really great set of recipes that all showcase some amazing skills and presentation in their dishes. It’s going to be another blockbuster of a year as we celebrate our 40th anniversary.”
Alain Roux, also Chairman of The Roux Scholarship, said: “It was great to see so many new candidates taking part in the competition. It shows how, despite the difficulties in today’s hospitality industry, so many young chefs are dedicated to improving their skills and gaining new experience by taking part in the Scholarship.”
| THE CHEFS COMPETING IN LONDON: | THE CHEFS COMPETING IN BIRMINGHAM: |
| Yash Dadlani Kanishka by Atul Kochhar, London Max Davies The Gordon Ramsay Group, London Oliver Dovey Claridge’s Hotel, London Yiannis Mexis HIDE Ben Miller Alex Dilling at Hotel Cafe Royal, London Megan Montibert L’Enclume, Cumbria Karol Ploch Kerridge’s Bar and Grill, London Jordan Randerson The Elephant, Devon Jacob Reilly Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, London Darryl Shotlander The Dysart Petersham, Surrey Caer Timberlake Restaurant 22, Cambridge Rebecca Tough Vacherin, London | Harrison Brockington Gather Restaurant, Devon Charlie d’Lima Crocadon Farm, Cornwall Steven Halligan Restaurant Metamorphica, Lancashire Adam Jones Horto Restaurant, North Yorkshire Evelina Stripeikyte The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Scotland Liam Smith Restaurant Pine, Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
Judges: Alain Roux, Brian Turner CBE, André Garrett (2002 scholar), Rachel Humphrey, Clare Smyth MBE, Adam Smith MCA (2012 scholar) | Judges: Michel Roux Jr, Angela Hartnett OBE, Sat Bains (1999 scholar), Simon Hulstone (2003 scholar). |
There are two chefs in reserve (should any finalists not be able to compete):
James Plowright The Bugle, Hampshire
Kian Puerto-Terron Bulrush Restaurant, Bristol
Recipe challenge
This year’s challenge was to create a recipe using one short loin of free-range gilt pork from the shoulder end, weighing anywhere between 1.6kg and 1.8kg maximum, untrimmed with four bones in, plus two fresh pork kidneys, together plated with two simple or composed garnishes/accompaniments. One of them had to include sweet potatoes and the other could be a garnish/accompaniment of the contestant’s choice. One of these could be served separately, if preferred.
A sauce had to accompany the dish. For the regional final, competitors will have 2½ hrs to cook their dish, along with a dessert from a mystery box of ingredients given to them on the day. The judges will be looking for recipes and methods, which demonstrate the best balance of creativity, taste, style and practicality in the finished dish.
