James said: “I couldn’t believe it when they told me I had won. The judges told me that my mackerel starter was their favourite dish of the day which meant an awful lot to me. It just goes to show that hard work and determination does pay off.
Albert Roux said: “Young Highland Chef 2016 has without doubt seen unprecedented success. The standard was extremely high and thought had gone into the dishes, with flavours and presentation of the highest order. The generosity of the sponsors and Burghfield House, the hosting venue, made this a competition young cooks will continue to aspire to. Well done to all who participated, particularly the winner James Huyton, who will now spend one-week training at Le Gavroche.”
Other finalists in the Young Highland Chef competition were Jason Walker of the Kincraig Castle Hotel near Invergordon; Jamie Macloed of Crossbasket Castle in East Kilbride; Curtis Munro Cross of Carnegie Court House in Dornoch; Stuart Calder of the Forss House Hotel near Thurso and Christopher McFeat of Ulbster Arms Hotel in Halkirk. Each contestant was presented with a signed certificate and a Robot Coupe Stick Blender. The winner also received a set of knives from Rationale, one of the competition sponsors.
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