The Ritz's Deepak Mallya wins Le Taittinger Prix Culinaire UK heat

Deepak Mallya, sous chef at the Ritz in London, has won the UK heat of Le Taittinger Prix Culinaire.

He takes home a €2,400 (£2,143) prize and will go on to compete in the international final of the culinary competition in Paris in January 2022.

UK candidates had to submit a detailed recipe using beef as a hero product, accompanied by photographs and the story behind their inspiration for the dish, which were judged anonymously.

Mallya’s dish remains secret until the final, when he will test his skills against seven other national winners from Belgium, Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Chef Michel Roux Jr, who is president of the UK national contest, said: “The competition was more challenging than ever in this unprecedented year, and each of the UK entrants deserves to be proud of the high standards submitted across the board.”

Mallya will be hoping to emulate the success of Charles Coulombeau, head chef of Gravity Manor in West Sussex, who won the 53rd edition of Le Taittinger Prix Culinaire in January 2020.

The winner of the next international final will receive €20,000 (£17,863) and a medal, with the runner-up awarded €5,000 (£4,465) and €2,500 (£2,232) going to the chef in third place.

The contest has been running since 1953 and has crowned champions including Joël Robuchon, Bernard Leprince and Michel Roth.