As the regional finalists for the Roux Scholarship 2019 are announced, chairmen Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr are delighted that a new generation of chefs are taking part, having submitted recipes that demonstrate a very high level of talent.
In this year’s competition, 14 of the 18 regional finalists are first-time applicants. The line-up also sees the first female regional finalist since 2015.
These 18 chefs were selected from their paper applications and written recipes submitted anonymously to the judges, who took part in the Paper Judging day at The Waterside Inn on Wednesday 27 February. The 18 finalists will compete in two regional finals which will be held simultaneously on Thursday 14 March 2019 at University College Birmingham and University of West London, Ealing.
Chefs competing in London
Ryan Baker, The Ritz, London
Jordan Bayes, Tuddenham Mill, Newmarket, Suffolk
Bence Burai, Texture Restaurant, London
Olivia Catherine Burt, Claridge’s, London
Michael Cruickshank, Bohemia, Jersey
Oliver Dovey, BaxterStorey Fine Dining, London
Patrick Frischknecht, The Clove Club, London
Ben Hobson, Galvin at Windows, London
Lewis Linley, Vacherin, London
Yiannis Mexis, Hide, London
Samuel Nash, L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria
Luke Sutton, The Woodspeen, Newbury, Berkshire
Judges: Michel Roux Jr, Rachel Humphrey, James Martin, Sat Bains (1999 scholar), André Garrett (2002 scholar).
Chefs competing in Birmingham
Scott Braithwaite, L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria
Scott Dineen, BaxterStorey Fine Dining, London
Adam Harper, The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow, Derbyshire
Spencer Metzger, The Ritz, London
Curtis Tonge, The Chester Grosvenor, Cheshire
Ricki Weston, Whatley Manor, Gloucestershire
Judges: Alain Roux, Brian Turner CBE, Angela Hartnett MBE, Simon Hulstone (2003 scholar).
There are two chefs in reserve (should any finalists not be able to compete):
Tim Kendall, Idle Rocks Hotel, Cornwall
Andrew Sleath, Restaurant 22, Cambridgeshire
This year’s challenge was to create a recipe to serve four people using one short saddle of hogget, weighing between 1.8kg and 2.2kg (bone-in, breast removed, without kidneys) and using four hogget kidneys (whole, suet removed); together served plated with two ‘simple’ or ‘composed’ garnishes/accompaniments. One of them must include potato rösti and the other to be a garnish/accompaniment of your choice. One of these can be served separately if preferred. A sauce must 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.
Reflecting on the 2019 competition so far, Michel Roux Jr commented, “The standard goes up every year and we see different ways of cooking, from the classics to the more modern cooking – I can’t wait to taste them. Hogget has a very pronounced, lamby flavour and is a wonderful meat to use.”