The regional finalists of the Roux Scholarship 2022 have been announced by chairmen Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr.
Eighteen chefs have been selected to compete in two regional finals, which will take place simultaneously in Birmingham and London on Thursday 24 March.
Those selected hail from restaurants as far afield as Crieff in Scotland and the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, with 14 having reached the regional finals on their first entry to the competition.
This year’s challenge was to create a recipe with two fresh Dover sole and whole brown shrimps with shells on. The seafood is to be plated with two garnishes and a sauce and include handmade pasta, to be prepared on the day.
The chefs will have two-and-a-half hours to cook their dish along with a dessert prepared from a mystery box of ingredients in the regional finals.
Michel Roux Jr said: “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.”
Alain Roux added: “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.”
**The chefs competing in London are: **
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
**The chefs competing in Birmingham are: **
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
**The two reserve chefs, should any finalists be unable to compete are: **
Fergus Wilford, The Savoy Grill, London
George Fisher, Restaurant Twenty-Two, Cambridge