By Denis Sheehan, Publisher, H&C News: The Roux Scholarship announce their 18 regional finalists 2022.
Honorary President of The Roux Scholarship Judges Hélène Darroze Hélène Darroze
As the regional finalists for the Roux Scholarship 2022 are announced, chairmen Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr are delighted that a new generation of chefs has taken part and that the finalists have demonstrated a very high level of talent in their applications.
This year, 14 of the 18 finalists are new to the competition and they hail from restaurants as far afield as Crieff in Scotland and the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall.
Michel Roux Jr reflected by saying: “There were some cracking recipes in there and the shortlist shows that chefs from non-Michelin starred establishments are just as likely to do well in this competition. The Roux Scholarship is for everyone.”
These 18 chefs, and two reserves, were selected from their written recipes that used Dover Sole, brown shrimps and handmade pasta.
They were submitted anonymously to the judges, who took part in the Recipe Judging day at Roux at Skindles Brasserie, Taplow, on Monday 1st March.
Focusing on the recipes Alain Roux said: “The successful recipes showed that the chefs had practised enough times to really know their dishes. The recipes were well laid out, the preparations were explained well and they showed a lot of confidence. I look forward to seeing the chefs in the kitchen.”
Angela Hartnett OBE added by saying: “Many of the recipes were very contemporary. Sometimes you see that chefs feel they need to veer towards old school French, but that wasn’t the case. There were lots of different styles and it was good to see different spices being used.”
The best use of ingredients was emphasised by Clare Smyth MBE who said: “These were beautiful ingredients to work with, there was so much potential. Some chefs didn’t realise that brown shrimps are a prime ingredient, and they could have made more of them.”
The 18 finalists will compete in two regional finals which will be held simultaneously on Thursday 24th March 2022 at University College Birmingham and University of West London, Ealing.
THE CHEFS COMPETING IN BIRMINGHAM
- Kieran Bradley, The Vineyard Hotel Stockcross, Newbury
- Michael Chwu, The Kitchin, Leith, Edinburgh
- Jonathan Ferguson, The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Crieff, Scotland
- Jake Hassall, Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh
- Steven Newton, Coast Restaurant, Pembrokeshire
- Adam Pitfield, Driftwood Hotel, Porscatho, Cornwall
Judges: Alain Roux, Angela Hartnett OBE, Simon Hulstone (2003 scholar), André Garrett (2002 scholar).
THE CHEFS COMPETING IN LONDON
- Luke Ahearne, Corrigan Collection, London
- Harry Donnelly, The RAF Club, London
- Oliver Dovey, Baxterstorey, London
- Luke Emmess, The Wykeham Arms, Winchester
- Nicholas Paul Fitzgerald, Nico Fitzgerald Restaurants, London
- Ruth Hansom, The Princess of Shoreditch, London
- Yiannis Mexis, Hide, London
- Kamil Nowak, The Dysart Petersham, Surrey
- George Ormond, Murano, London
- Liam Pride, Trinity Restaurant, Cambridge
- Christos Sidiropoulos, Flemings Mayfair Hotel, London
- George Whitelock, Angler Restaurant, London
Judges: Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner CBE, Sat Bains (1999 scholar), Rachel Humphrey, Clare Smyth CBE.
There are two chefs in reserve (should any finalists not be able to compete):
- Fergus Wilford, The Savoy Grill, London
- George Fisher, Restaurant Twenty-Two, Cambridge
The challenge
This year’s challenge was to create a recipe with two fresh Dover soles weighing anywhere between 600g-700g (maximum 800g) cooked and served either whole, or in fillets and 300g whole brown shrimps with shells on; together plated with two ‘simple’ or ‘composed’ garnishes/accompaniments. One of them had to include homemade pasta to be made on the day of the competition. The other had to be a garnish/accompaniment of their 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.
The Final
Six winners selected from across the two regional finals will go through to the national final Monday 11th April, taking place at Westminster Kingsway College, London.
The judges for the final cook-off will be: Honorary President of Judges Hélène Darroze, Alain Roux, Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner CBE, James Martin, Clare Smyth, André Garrett, Sat Bains, Simon Hulstone.