Congratulations to the 2018 winners!

2018 Winners and Finalists

The 15th annual South West Chef of the Year competition culminated in some nail-biting and incredibly close finals, presenting our judges with some of their toughest challenges yet!  Our prestigious panel of judges deliberated for a very long time at the finals of the professional and student chef categories, being forced to drill down to the finest details to select their winners.  Finals in the home cook and junior categories proved, once again, that the level of skill among amateur cooks also never fails to impress!

We are very excited to have been able to highlight the exceptionally talented chefs, home cooks and junior cooks of the region, not to mention the bounty of diverse ingredients on our doorstep, over the last 15 years and 2018 was certainly no exception!

Thank you very much to everyone who entered and took part for all the time and hard work they committed to ensuring we enjoyed another competition of such an exceptional standard and many congratulations to all our finalists and winners.

Thank you very much indeed to our panel of judges who give their time so generously and to all of our dedicated sponsors whose continued support enables us to stage the competition each year.

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists in 2018 outlined below:

(More pictures to follow soon!)

South West Chef of the Year 2018 (overall)

Sponsored by Essential Cuisine

WINNER: Tim Kendall

Sous Chef, The Idle Rocks, St Mawes, Cornwall

South West Professional Chef of the Year

Sponsored by Ritter Courivaud

WINNER: Tim Kendall

Sous Chef, The Idle Rocks, St Mawes

The compulsory protein ingredients provided for our Professional finalists were:

• Rib of beef
• Pollack
• Palourde Clams/Mussels

Tim’s Menu

Starter:
Pollack, tiger milk, coriander mayonnaise, apple

Main:
Pastrami beef, cauliflower purée, roasted cauliflower, cavolo nero, pickled shallot

Dessert:
Muscavado tart, pear and blackberry, white wine granita

South West Young Professional Chef of the Year

Sponsored by CaterPeople

WINNER: Gercelynn Mae Dionio

Demi Chef de Partie, Lucknam Park, Bath

The compulsory protein ingredients provided for our Young Professional finalists were:

• Partridge
• Brill
• Mussels

Gercelynn Mae’s Menu

Starter:
Pan roasted Brill, root vegetables, mussel velouté

Main:
Roasted partridge, girolles, cavolo nero, blackberries, partridge boulangere potatoes, partridge jus

Dessert:
Frangipane tart, pear and apple with vanilla chantilly

South West Student/Apprentice Chef of the Year

Sponsored by Nisbets

WINNER: Sophie Kennard

Exeter College and The Swan, Bampton

The compulsory protein ingredients provided for our Student/Apprentice Chef finalists were:

• Pheasant
• Hake

Sophie’s Menu

Starter:
Breast of Exmoor pheasant with pancetta, faggot and a mulled wine jus

Main:
Cornish hake, celeriac and apple with a Somerset cider sauce

South West Home Cook of the Year

Sponsored by Ashburton Cookery School

WINNER: Oonagh Egerton

Salisbury, Wiltshire

Finalists in this class were asked to prepare a main course and a dessert using a choice of two protein ingredients and a range of dessert ingredients:

• Fillet of beef OR scallops
• Autumn fruits and berries

Oonagh’s Menu

Main:

Roast fillet of beef, roasted onions, a shallot and thyme gravy served with Dauphinoise potatoes, carrot and parsnip, beans in shallot butter and roast tomatoes

Dessert:
Pear frangipane with a ginger mascarpone cream and crushed amaretti biscuits

South West Junior Chef of the Year

Sponsored by Lympstone Manor and Michael Caines Ltd.

WINNER: Conor Boakes

Whitstone School, Shepton Mallet, Somerset

Mentored by Liam Finnegan, Head Chef, The Castle Hotel, Taunton.

Finals were held in each of the six counties of the South West during June and July and the winners in each county met at the final. Each benefitted from mentoring from one of our county judges in preparation for the final.

Conor’s dish

Roast venison loin with a faggot, Pommes Anna, celeriac purée and a blackberry sauce.

Best Showcase of Regional Ingredients

Sponsored by WBW Solicitors

WINNER: Sophie Kennard

Exeter College and The Swan, Bampton (Student/Apprentice Chef)

Starter:
Breast of Exmoor pheasant with pancetta, faggot and a mulled wine jus

Main:
Cornish hake, celeriac and apple with a Somerset cider sauce

Best Menu

Sponsored by West Country Beef and Lamb

Winner: Gercelynn Mae Dionio

Demi Chef de Partie, Lucknam Park, Bath

Starter:
Pan roasted Brill, root vegetables, mussel velouté

Main:
Roasted partridge, girolles, cavolo nero, blackberries, partridge Boulangere potatoes, partridge jus

Dessert:
Frangipane tart, pear and apple with vanilla chantilly

Best Presentation

Winner:Tim Kendall

Sous Chef, The Idle Rocks, St Mawes, Cornwall

For his menu as a whole

Best Dish

Winner: James Checkley

Sous Chef, Kentisbury Grange, Barnstaple, Devon

For his starter of pan fried Pollack, butternut, mussels, beurre blanc

Fraser Bruce

Head Chef, Tate St Ives, Cornwall

Starter:
Pan fried Pollack, parsnip and pancetta velouté, parsnip crisp, clams

Main:
Rib cap, potato foam, mushrooms and red wine jus

Dessert:
Caramel apple, crème anglaise panna cotta, almond crumble, salted caramel

James Checkley

Sous Chef, Kentisbury Grange, Barnstaple, Devon

Starter:
Pan fried Pollack, butternut, mussels, beurre blanc

Main:
Beef rib, onion purée, wild mushrooms, pomme purée

Dessert:
Chocolate mousse, berry foam, poached berries, hazelnut

Alex Greene

Sous Chef, Lucknam Park, Bath

Starter:
Pollack, chowder, cauliflower, potato

Main:
Beef, shallot tart, carrots and horseradish

Dessert:
Apples, pears, cinnamon and ginger

Josh Ambridge

Chef de Partie, Lords of the Manor, Lower Slaughter, Gloucestershire

Starter:
Roasted partridge, baked beetroot, figs and balsamic

Main:
Seared Brill, mussel and fennel linguine, sea herbs

Dessert:
Pear and blackberry tart, crème anglaise

Martin Baylis

Junior Sous Chef, Kentisbury Grange, Barnstaple, Devon

Starter:
Steamed Brill, caramelised cauliflower, pancetta sauce, sea herbs

Main:
Roasted partridge, stuffed leg, squash, partridge jus

Dessert:
Chocolate tart, white chocolate chantilly, hazelnut praline

Joseph Oliver

Chef de Partie, Buckland Manor, Broadway, Gloucestershire

Starter:
Pan fried partridge, roast cauliflower purée, smoked beetroot, thyme jus

Main:
Pan fried Brill, fennel purée, sautéed mushrooms, mussels, beurre blanc

Dessert:
Blackberry panna cotta, apple gel, toasted almonds, wine poached fig

Andrei Jurma

Truro and Penwith College and The Gurnard’s Head, Zennor

Starter:
Steamed hake, Goan curry, mussels and blowtorched squid

Main:
Tikka pheasant, brinjal bharji, raita and medu vadu

Charlie Walters

Cornwall College, Saltash and The Greedy Goose, Plymouth

Starter:
‘Pheasant in the forest’ – pheasant breast, chanterelle, mushroom purée and blackberries

Main:
‘Hake at home’ – Hake with shrimp crumb, cappuccinoed Lemongrass and coconut sauce, fondant potato, leeks and herb oil

Connor Wright

Truro and Penwith College

Starter:
Hake, warm tartare sauce, crispy Porthilly oyster + seabeet oil

Main:
Pheasant, smoked garlic bread sauce, parkin, kale, hazelnut, carrot and port

Diana Bellinger

Sidmouth, Devon

Main:

Fillet of beef, horseradish mash, roasted roots, roasted baby onions in rosemary and balsamic vinegar, greens and a red wine sauce

Dessert:

Blackberry and orchard fruits pavlova with blackberry cream, blackberry sauce and cider brandy syrup

Lucinda Ellicott

Paignton, Devon

Main:

Fillet sous vide with red wine reduction, honey and thyme glazed carrot, creamed cabbage, Manchego rosti, blackcurrant and a horseradish savoury madeleine.

Dessert:

Autumn berry frangipane tartlets filled with lemon and mint cream and topped with caramelised pistachios.

Kelly Shannon

Stonehouse, Gloucestershire

Main:
Scallops, cured ham, pea purée, potato gratin and pickled shallot

Dessert:
Sweet tart with berry cream and currant coulis

Eva Bolton-Lake

Gloucestershire Junior Chef of the Year

Maidenhill School, Stonehouse

Mentored by Gus Ashenford, Chef Proprietor, Restaurant 5 North Street, Winchcombe

Chicken, leek and mushroom pie

Rhys Griffith

Wiltshire Junior Chef of the Year

Wellington Academy, Tidworth

Mentored by Hywel Jones, Executive Chef, Lucknam Park, Bath

Hampshire chicken breast served with fondant potato and peas à la franҫaise

Jorgia Pickett

Cornwall Junior Chef of the Year

Callington Community College

Mentored by Stephane Delourme, Head Chef, The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow

Seafood tagliatelle

Katie Prigg

Dorset Junior Chef of the Year

The Gryphon School, Sherborne

Mentored by Pete Murt, Head Chef, Rick Steins Sandbanks

Hand raised Somerset pork and black pudding pie, with Somerset apple cider chutney, sweet potato and Somerset cheddar mash and cabbage

Samantha Taylor-Clarke

Devon Junior Chef of the Year

Stover School, Newton Abbot

Mentored by Mark Dodson, Chef Proprietor, The Masons Arms, Knowstone

Pork Tor Newton – Devon pork tenderloin, flambéed in 15 year old cask Devon cider brandy, dauphinoise potato layered with a carrot ribbon, caramelised turned Granny Smith, Vichy heritage carrots, wild garlic oil, greengage purée, cider jus.