The semi-finals of the Professional, Young Professional and Student/Apprentice Chef categories took place on Saturday 17th September at Exeter College when our judges had to face the difficult task of selecting their finalists from among some very closely matched competitors!
Below you will find the results along with pictures of the fabulous array of dishes prepared by the semi-finalists!
We would like to extend our thanks to all the team at Exeter College for hosting the semi-finals and, of course, to our judges on the day: Michael Caines MBE DL, Richard Davies, Stephane Delourme, Scott Paton, Seth Ward and Elly Wentworth.
Thank you to Steve Haywood who photographed all the action throughout the day and to our generous sponsors (also outlined below) for enabling us to stage these categories of the competition.
Results and Awards Dinner
The final results of this year’s competition will be announced at our awards presentation evening on 25th October at Exeter Golf and Country Club, when all are welcome to join us for a wonderful meal to be prepared by three leading chefs, all winners and/or judges of South West Chef of the Year. Tickets will be available through this website (at £100 each), where further details will be posted soon. If you would like to reserve your place at the dinner, please get in touch at info@southwestchef.co.uk.
The Semi-finals
Lead sponsor:
Bidfood
Professional Chef category:
Sponsored by Ritter Courivaud
Selected finalists:
- Tom Bennetts
- Harrison Brockington
- Joe Cotton
- Andrew Jenkinson
All semi-finalists (alphabetically):
Tom Bennetts
Head Chef, Driftwood Spars, St Agnes, Cornwall
Starter:
Ceviche of monkfish – chilli, lime, passionfruit, spring onions, Cornish seaweed cracker, chive oil
Main:
Roasted Cornish lamb, loin, rack, miso glazed belly, gratin potato, charred baby gem, carrot purée, lamb jus
Aaron Brewer
Sous Chef, The Rising Sun, Altarnun, Cornwall
Starter:
Monkfish tail, roasted and pickled cauliflower, cashew nut purée, toasted cashews and pumpkin seeds, grapes, anise, hyssop, micro basil
Main:
Roasted lamb rack, Jerusalem artichoke Ecrasse, pickled walnut purée, artichoke crisps, Romanesque cauliflower, lamb sauce
Harrison Brockington
Head Chef, Gather, Totnes, Devon
Starter:
Monkfish roasted in cep powder, topped with seaweed with a mushroom taste and mushroom cream
Main:
Roasted rack of lamb with smoked potato croquette, creamed nettles, elderberry mustard, elderberry jus
Joe Cotton
Sous Chef, Àclèaf, Boringdon Hall Hotel, Plympton, Devon
Starter:
Monkfish, oyster velouté and Exmoor caviar
Main:
Lamb, hazelnut and celery
Andrew Jenkinson
Sous Chef, Lucknam Park, Bath
Starter:
Pan roasted monkfish on the bone, roasted cauliflower, shellfish sauce, parsley, grapes and brown shrimp
Main:
Pan roasted French trimmed rack of lamb, tomatoes, spinach, courgettes, basil, lamb and tomato jus
Sophie Kennard
Sous Chef, The Jack in the Green, Rockbeare, Devon
Starter:
Middle Eastern lamb loin, cauliflower, fig, chickpea and coriander
Main:
Pan roasted monkfish, celeriac, hen of the wood and a roasted chicken sauce
Tom Price
Head Chef, The Marlborough, Marlborough, Wiltshire
Starter:
Monkfish Kiev, mussels and herbs
Main:
Roast rack of lamb, celeriac foundant, hasselback potato, carrots, goats cheese, jalapeno emulson
Jack Sharland
Head Chef, River Exe Café, Exmouth, Devon
Starter:
Monkfish loin, textures of leek, saffron poached apricots, saffron sauce
Main:
Herb crumb roasted rack of lamb, watercress purée, lamb shoulder hotpot, lamb jus
Young Professional Chef category:
Sponsored by Essential Cuisine
Selected finalists:
- Harvey Barker
- Lewis Brown
- Nathan Johnson
- Rosie Nevill
All semi-finalists (alphabetically):
Harvey Barker
Demi Chef de Partie, The Botanical Rooms at The Newt in Somerset
Starter:
Hake, whey butter sauce, tomato and dill
Main:
Pork tenderloin, cyder braised greens, herb dressing, pickled chilli
Ruby Barnes
Commis Chef, New Coast Kitchen, Croyde, Devon
Starter:
Hake ceviche with tomato consommé, citrus mayo and coriander
Main:
Pan fried tenderloin of pork with smoked paprika jus and a spiced croquette
Lewis Brown
Junior Sous Chef, Edies Kitchen, St Austell, Cornwall
Starter:
Hake, tempura mussels, curry sauce, samphire, apple
Main:
Pork fillet, potato rosti, carrot, sage, Dijon jus
Keren Fry
Chef de Partie, Àclèaf, Boringdon Hall Hotel, Plympton, Devon
Starter:
Hake, mussels and sea herbs
Main:
Pork tenderloin, hen of the wood and hazelnut
Nathan Johnson
Senior Chef de Partie, The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath
Starter:
Cornish hake, verjus marinated grape, oyster, coastal herbs
Main:
Pork tenderloin, sand carrot, tomatillo, fat hen
Kathryn Lane
Junior Sous Chef, The Barley Sheaf at Gorran, Corwnall
Starter:
Citrus-cured Hake
Main:
Char Sui pork tenderloin
Reuben Mowbray
Senior Chef de Partie, Greenbank Hotel, Falmouth, Cornwall
Starter:
Seared tenderloin of pork, pea, apple pancetta risotto, Healey’s Calvados jus
Main:
Roast hake fillet, beach foraged herbs, Cornish sparkling water, St Just Roseland saffron beurre blanc, sea beet oil.
Rosie Nevill
Free-lance Chef de Partie
Starter:
Hake and tomato
Main:
Pork and fennel
Student/Apprentice Chef category:
Sponsored by Michael Caines Ltd.
Selected finalists:
- Perran Clark
- Dylan Evered
- Tomasz Waszkiewicz
- Jayden Watson
All semi-finalists (alphabetically):
Perran Clark
Sandy Cove Hotel, Ilfracombe and Petroc College
Starter:
Cured sardines, summer tomatoes, radish, tomato water, coastal herbs
Main:
Chicken, roasted artichoke, bacon-stuffed dates, scotch egg chicken sauce
Harry Dowse
The Elephant, Torquay and Macclesfield College
Starter:
Butterfly sardines, bbq tomatoes, rocket pesto, crispy cockles, pickled shallot
Main:
Ballotine of chicken, Dartmoor cep mushrooms, Jerusalem artichoke, cracked wheat risotto, Madeira cream sauce, turnip fondant
Dylan Evered
The Sardine Factory, Looe and City College Plymouth
Starter:
Cured and crisp sardines, Exmoor caviar, dill pickled cucumber and lemon
Main:
Truffle roasted chicken breast, forest mushroom croquette, cauliflower and pickled shimeji
Elliot Holdsworth
Heron Farm, Honiton and Exeter College
Starter:
Grilled sardines, carrot purée, julienne of courgette and a water vinaigrette
Main:
Pan fried chicken breast, honey glazed carrots, charred onion and a chicken jus
Samantha Taylor-Clarke
Exeter College
Starter:
Panco butterfly sardines with a sweet and sharp sauce
Main:
Chicken breast with stilton & port cream sauce, julienne of leek, vichy and sautéed potato
Neve Walton
Nathan Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac and St Austell College
Starter:
Grilled butterflied sardines with pickled carrots and coriander mayonnaise
Main:
Stuffed chicken breast, wholegrain mustard cream sauce and steamed macedoine vegetables
Tomasz Waszciewicz
Gather, Totnes and Exeter College
Starter:
Torched sardines with a tomato and basil dressing, tomato jelly, crispy basil
Main:
Stuffed chicken breast roasted on the crown, wild mushrooms, pomme paillasson, chicken jus
Jayden Watson
Lympstone Manor and Plymouth High School
Starter:
Sardine ballotine, ratatouille tartlet, tomato vinaigrette, saffron and parsley beurre blanc, parmesan crisp
Main:
Chicken mille-feuille, miso glazed scallops, leek cream, curried fennel, celeriac purée, lemon gastric
Shangen Yen
Lucknam Park, Bath and Bournemouth and Poole College
Starter:
Isle of Wight tomato and parmesan tart, butterflied and grilled sardine, frizze micro salad
Main:
Chicken breast pan roasted on the crown, sweetcorn niblet risotto, chorizo, balsamic spring onions and chicken jus gras
Comments are closed.