At the final heat of the 2011 North West Young Chef Competition, Danielle Heron cooked up a winning trio of dishes to secure her place in the final on 8th June. The Greater Manchester Heat took place on 27th April at the fantastically equipped new catering college kitchens at Manchester College, Fielden Campus in Disbury.
Although being a full time second year student at Manchester College, 18 year old Danielle shows her dedication to her future career by also working 3 days a week at Ramson of Ramsbottom in Bury.
On the day Danielle faced stiff competition from Sarah Shaw and Scott Crompton from Marriott Worsley Park, Louis Tucker and Sam Dean from Harvey Nichols and Edward Grigg from The Park Inn Manchester.
Danielle began her winning menu with Port of Lancaster smoked haddock with Lytham shrimp risotto, mace cloud, curry oil & baby chard. Whilst sourcing her ingredients, Danielle spent time seeking advice from local producers to ensure her core ingredients were kept regional and seasonal.
For her main course Danielle cooked trough of Bowland lamb with fondant, young leeks, carrot, Delamere goats cheese bon bon and Jus. She completed her menu with a stunning dessert of Cheshire apple soufflé with caramel ice cream, jelly & shard.
After the results were announced, Danielle said “I was so nervous at the start; I even arrived at the college at 6:30am to ensure everything was in place. I just tried hard to keep my menus local and listen to the advice of my College Lecturer Andy Macleod”. Andy said “Danielle is an excellent, dedicated student and puts 100% into everything she does.”
The judges on the day were managing director of the competition’s sponsor Essential Cuisine Nigel Crane, Chairman of Judges Brian Mellor and Executive Chef of the Manchester Hilton Dave Gale. All three judges agreed that the standard of food at the Manchester Heat was extremely high. Dave Gale said “it’s good to see these young chefs using modern techniques, but they mustn’t ever move away from what we are here to do: produce great food”.
Danielle now goes on to represent Greater Manchester in the North West Young Chef Final on 8th June. She will face the winners from Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire.
If you would to know more about this competition, which gives chefs the opportunity to increase their chances of achieving long term goals, demonstrate skills to a professional audience and get invaluable feedback, call 01606 541490. There is also a Facebook page for the North West Young Chef Competition and you can follow the events on Twitter @NWYoungChefComp.
