Roux Scholarship 2025 regional finalists announced

The regional finalists of the 2025 Roux Scholarship have been selected by chairmen Alain and Michel Roux Jr.

 

Eighteen chefs – 14 of whom are new to the competition – have been selected to compete in two regional finals, which will take place simultaneously at University of West London, Ealing, and University College Birmingham on Thursday 6 March.

 

Those selected hail from culinary establishments as varied as a private school in Devon to a Scottish inn once frequented by poet Robert Burns, as well as three-Michelin-starred restaurants and contract catering sites.

 

This year’s challenge is to create a recipe for two red gurnard fish, St Austell deep-sea mussels, fresh (or dried) red dulse seaweed and parsnips.

 

Chefs will be tasked with cooking their dish in two and a half hours on the day of the competition, as well as a dessert created from a mystery box of ingredients.

 

From there, six winners will be selected to compete at the national final on Monday 14 April at the Alain Roux Culinary School at the Waterside Inn in Bray.

 

Judging in London will be overseen by Alain Roux, Brian Turner, Emily Roux, André Garrett (2002 scholar), Adam Smith (2012 scholar) and Angela Hartnett, while judging in Birmingham will be led by Michel Roux Jr, Sat Bains (1999 scholar), Simon Hulstone (2003 scholar) and Rachel Humphrey. 

 

Michel Roux Jr said: “It is great to see so many different establishments represented across the country and to see chefs who have been supported to enter the competition by past winners, our Roux scholars, and past finalists. There were some very inspiring recipes using affordable ingredients and lots of skilful, innovative techniques as well.”

 

Alain Roux added: “It has been good to see how the different chefs used the key ingredients to come up with a wide range of dishes, with interesting flavours, drawing on influences from around the world. I can’t wait to see them cooking the dishes in the regional finals and indeed that is the skill we look for in the recipe application – chefs must write a recipe that we really want to taste.” 

 

The Roux Scholar London finalists

• Katherine Altham, Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, London
• Liam Anderson, Midsummer House, Cambridge
• Swann Auffray, the Little Chartroom, Edinburgh
• Craig Johnstone, Angler Restaurant, London
• Lachlan Maddigan, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
• Liam Pride, Fancetts, Cambridge
• Darryl Shotlander, the Dysart Petersham, Surrey
• Monty Stonehewer, Whatley Manor, Wiltshire
• Nikoletta Theofylakidou, Restaurant Associates, London
• Marnix Taghon Hide, London
• Rebecca Tough Vacherin, London
• Erin Yates Bar Valette, London

The Roux Scholar Birmingham finalists

• Fraser Cameron, the Globe Inn, Dumfries & Galloway
• Charlie d’Lima, Crocadon Farm, Cornwall
• Alan Hughes, Gleneagles, Scotland
• Harrison Miller, Blundells School, Devon
• Oliver Robinson, Coworth Park, Berkshire
• Tommy Thorn, Puro, Bristol 

The two reserve chefs, should any finalist be unable to compete, are:

• Kian Puerto-Terron, the Painswick, Gloucestershire 
• George Wintle, Rochelle Canteen, London

Michel Roux founded the Roux Scholarship with his brother Albert in 1984 to enable a new generation of chefs from Britain to train in the most prestigious restaurants around the world.

 

Image: Francesca Agosta