years. He helped the judges to compile the original shortlist of chefs from all of the entries received this year, and was amazed by the reception the competition received this year.
“It helped that the prize was so big this year, I want to go to Japan! During the shortlisting stage, we were looking for people to think outside the box and not make sushi rolls, because instantly when you think of soy sauce you think of Asian food" Simon explained,
“Everybody we chose to be in the finals used the sauce the way we would have liked to have seen it be used. They all hit the brief correctly, and there were 16 fantastic dishes which we saw Kikkoman was the integral part of it. Only afterward we saw they were from eight fantastic establishments and each chef has a good reputation. If we get a good winner from today it'll only go from strength to strength next year!"
To achieve this year’s theme ‘Modern European’, Ben served an adaptation of L’Eclume’s Penny Bridge Dexter, alongside oysters with soy and ice plant as a starter, and Cornish monkfish, miso, radish, and Hen of the Woods as a main course.
"It's really opened my eyes, having to use this ingredient that I wouldn’t normally use, but if you use it right it can really pay off, and you can see that from everyone here."
Kikkoman is the world’s leading soy sauce manufacturer, who create the multi-purpose seasoning, Kikkoman Soy Sauce. The sauce only contains four ingredients; soybeans, wheat, salt and water, which makes it a popular ingredient in a range of dishes, especially within Western style cuisine.
By Katie Pathiaki
