On 16th May, the 2018 North West Young Chef Competition Finalists attended an inspiring masterclass delivered by Mark Birchall at the Michelin starred Grade 2 listed building of Moorhall in Lancashire.
Organised by sponsors Essential Cuisine, CHR, and Sousvide, the masterclass gave the final 6 the opportunity to learn from a chef at the top of his game.
To start the masterclass, Mark Birchall, the chef patron, handed over the floor to his commis chef, who did a detailed demonstration on charcuterie. Tim, originally from New York, talked the finalists through all the stages involved in making a black pepper salami, including marination, fermenting and curing the meat, and stressed the importance of temperature control within the process.
Mark then continued the demonstration by creating a delicate green strawberry dish using liquid nitrogen, served with sorbet and tuile, and garnished with agar gel and sorrel flowers.
Speaking about what goes onto the menu, Mark said “we buy as much produce locally as we can, plus we grow our own. We work closely with the gardeners to tailor what we produce, and how we can get the best flavour out of the ingredients.”
The finalists were selected following three tense semi-finals from across the North West, with the final line up being incredibly strong: Oliver Mather (Punchbowl at Crosthwaite,) Ruairi Erwin (Northcote,) Sion Hughes (Rogan & Co,) Alasdair Aitken (Chefs Table,) Mai Trising (Black Swan Hotel,) and Cyril Gabriel (Carden Park.)
As the masterclass came to an end, the finalists and their guests enjoyed a glass of champagne followed by a bespoke menu created by Mark and his team.
The dishes served included smocked eel with fermented garlic, Holstein Friesian beef with barbecued celeriac and mustard, and gingerbread roots and pine.
The 6 finalists will now go on to compete in the final on Wednesday 23rd May at Cheshire College – South and West, before the winner takes their place in the semi-final of the Young National Chef of the Year competition in June.
Ahead of the final, Essential Cuisine would like to wish all finalists the very best of luck.
