Roux Scholarship opens for entries with chefs set hogget task

Entries have opened for the Roux Scholarship 2019, with hopefuls asked to submit a recipe for four people using a saddle of hogget and four hogget kidneys.

Alain Roux said: "Hogget is an interesting ingredient, as tender as lamb but offering a deliciously rich flavour. I am delighted with the challenge we have set this year on so many levels; in particular to test the butchery skills of the chefs, but also to assess their judgement and finesse to ensure the short saddle is cooked preserving the unique flavour and moistness of the cut and also the kidneys. The scope is there to prepare them in a very simple or more sophisticated way."

Michel Roux Jr added: "Hogget has a wonderful depth of flavour that can be married with myriad spices. The saddle is a prime cut and can be cooked in many different ways, but for me the use of the kidney will be vital."

Those invited to the regional finals on 14 March 2019 will be given two-and-a-half hours to cook their dish, along with a dessert for four people from a box of mystery ingredients.

Six finalists will then be invited to the national final, which will be held at Westminster Kingsway College in London on Monday 1 April 2019.

The Roux Scholarship was founded by Michel and Albert Roux in 1984 to enable a new generation of UK chefs to train in the best restaurants in the world. The winner will receive £6,000 to support their career development and an invitation to cook and train in a three-Michelin star restaurant anywhere in the world for up to three months.

The 2019 judges will be Alain Roux, Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner, Andrew Fairlie (head scholar, 1984), Sat Bains (scholar 1999), André Garrett (scholar 2002), Simon Hulstone (scholar 2003), James Martin, Clare Smyth, Rachel Humphrey and Angela Hartnett. An honorary president of judges will be announced in due course.

Full details of the competition, rules and the entry process visit www.rouxscholarship.co.uk

Roux Scholarship 2019 launches today>>

Martin Carabott crowned winner of Roux Scholarship 2018>>

Get The Caterer every week on your smartphone, tablet, or even in good old-fashioned hard copy (or all three!).