The Roux Scholarship 2016 finalists were announced yesterday after two tense regional finals at University College Birmingham and the University of West London, Ealing.

The six chefs include Ben Champkin from Simon Rogan's L'Enclume, Simon has employed four Roux Scholarship winners telling The Staff Canteen last year: "Some of the dishes they have to cook for the scholarship I think ‘blimey’ I wouldn’t want to attempt them – they look really, really hard. They don’t make it easy and the person who wins is a worthy winner.”

Michel Roux Jr, who judged at the regional finals said: "We have two very strong finalists going through from Birmingham this year. A dessert can make or break a dish. We had two excellent desserts - well executed, beautiful custards and moist cake."

Alain Roux said: "I could tell the chefs in London had worked really hard and practiced and it showed in the quality of the main courses we tasted. There were a wide variety of different techniques used, one or two a bit too complex and I would have liked the mushroom element to stand out more in the flavour of the dishes. After comparing notes with my cousin I think we've chosen six great contenders for an exciting final!"

>>> Read: Rogan’s Roux Scholarship winners

Yesterday 18 regional finalists battled it out for a place in the final of the prestigious competition and the six finalists are: Ben Champkin, L'Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria Harry Guy, Eden Hotel Collection, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire Paul Matthews, Fieldfisher (Vacherin), London Scott Dineen, Goldman Sachs (BaxterStorey), London Tim Peirson, Kensington Place, Kensington Church St, London Martin Carabott, the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London

They will now go through to the national final on April 4, which takes place at Westminster Kingsway College, London. The 2016 Roux Scholar will be announced at an awards ceremony held at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, London the same evening. This year’s challenge saw the regional finalists create a recipe to serve four people using one whole fresh pollock, live whole cockles; together served plated and accompanied by two garnishes. Competitors had two-and-a-half hours to cook their dish, along with a dessert from a mystery box of ingredients given to them on the day. The judges this year included Michel Roux Jr, Andre Garrett, Steve Love, Simon Hulstone and Andrew Fairlie.

>>> More about the Roux Scholarship 2016 here

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