Budding cooks invited to enter Young Highland Chef 2014
Entries have opened for Young Highland Chef 2014. Budding cooks aged between 18 and 30 from around the Highlands and Islands are being invited to submit a three course menu by Sunday 31 August.
The menus, which must include langoustine in the starter, beef in the main and apple in the sweet, will be judged on paper before eight applicants are selected to cook at a live final in Dornoch on Monday 27 October.
Young Highland Chef’s judging panel will be led by celebrated chef, Albert Roux OBE, with support from some of Britain’s best known culinary professionals, including Andrew Fairlie of Gleneagles Hotel and Glen Watson of The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield.
The winner of the competition will receive £500 plus a week’s work experience at Le Gavroche, the Roux family’s two Michelin starred restaurant in London. The second place contestant will win £250 and a week’s work experience at The RAC Club in London and the third will receive £100. All finalists will also be given a trophy and certificate, presented by Albert Roux at a champagne reception after the cook-off.
Young Highland Chef is organised by Burghfield House Hotel in Dornoch and the Albert Roux Consultancy. Burghfield House is a training hotel run by North Highland College UHI, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, which offers a range of courses in hospitality and cookery, including a tourism and hospitality degree. The winner of Young Highland Chef 2013 was Victoria Edwards, an 18 year old chef de partie who worked at Buncrew House Hotel near Inverness.
Speaking about this years’ competition, Mr Roux said: “Another Young Highland Chef competition is upon us. It’s always gratifying to come to the Highlands to judge the young talent who will cook for us at the Burghfield Hotel. Our line-up of judges this year is again second to none and I know I speak for all of them in saying we are there not only to judge, but to encourage the young talent that is waiting to be discovered! Seasonal, local, well cooked dishes; these are the main criteria we are looking for and that we are looking forward to tasting in the final in October.”
Russell Rekhy, Burghfield campus manager, said: “We are delighted to be hosting Young Highland Chef again this year. It’s a great opportunity to showcase some of the talent in our area and as well as our training hotel, which serves one of the region’s key industries. We hope the chance to work at the Roux’s restaurant in London will be an irresistible draw for our region’s young chefs.”
To find out more about Young Highland Chef and download an application form, please visit www.burghfieldhouse.co.uk The competition is being held in association with Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine.
Notes
Menus must have a budget of £20 per cover. Successful applications will have 2 hours and 30 minutes to cook their three course meals.
The full judging panel comprises: Albert Roux OBE, Andrew Fairlie of Gleneagles Hotel; Brian Maule of Chardon d’Or in Glasgow; Steven Docherty of The First Floor Café in Windermere; Glen Watson of The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield and Derek Johnstone from Chez Roux at the Greywalls Hotel in East Lothian.