Five passionate young chefs from the North West are gearing up to give it their all at the final of one of the fastest growing regional culinary competitions in the UK.
Cheshire’s Andrew Sheridan, Cumbria’s Andrew Postlethwaite, Lancashire’s Lewis Gallagher, Merseyside’s Rikki Vidamour and Greater Manchester’s Danielle Heron are all contenders for North West Young Chef 2011 after winning their respective county heat.
The highly-charged final will take place at Manchester College, Didsbury, on Wednesday, June 8, with a panel of top industry chefs tasked with finding the region’s next culinary star.
Each finalist is tasked with cooking a three-course meal for two using North West, seasonal produce costing up to £25, a challenge which has produced spectacular results in recent years and gives chefs the chance to really get their teeth into local provenance.
Whoever wins the competition, sponsored by Cheshire-based Essential Cuisine, will not only see their name up in lights, but win a week long bursary at a top European restaurant.
Chairman of judges and British Masterchef Brian Mellor said: “North West Young Chef of the Year is fast becoming the competition to enter if you want to get your name known in the industry, as well as train with some of the best chefs in Europe. We saw some ingenious ideas put into practice at this year’s heats and whoever wins will definitely be one to watch.”
Nigel Crane said: “It’s about using your creativity to the best of your ability, all while coming up with dishes that would actually work on a restaurant menu. The key thing for finalists to remember is to stick to the golden rules; keep it hot, keep it simple, local and in season.”
The North West Young Chef 2011 finalists are:
Andrew Sheridan - Cheshire - Executive sous chef, Abode’s Café Bar & Grill, Chester
Up against a record number of young chefs to ever compete at a NWYC heat, 23-year-old Andrew got the juices flowing with a starter of cajun spiced salmon, quinoa and pepper salad, smoked garlic oil and mint crème fraiche, followed by a duo of pork, roast tenderloin and braised cheek, pickled red cabbage, butternut squash puree and wholegrain mustard jus for main and blackberry and Champagne granite, lemon brulee and vanilla foam for dessert.
Andrew Postlethwaite – Cumbria - Chef de partie, Castle Green Hotel, Kendal
Trained at Kendal College, 21-year-old Andrew was taken on by the Castle Green Hotel at the age of 16 and has swiftly worked his way up through the ranks. It’s the second year in a row he has won the Cumbria heat of NWYC, this year wowing judges with a starter of Muncaster crab, a home-reared mutton main course and a rhubarb and duck egg custard dessert. Judges were particularly impressed with his ‘creative’ approach to local ingredients.
Lewis Gallagher – Lancashire - Commis chef, Cassis at Stanley House, Mellor
Following in the footsteps of his senior chef de partie Martin Hargreaves, who won last year’s Lancashire heat, 20-year-old Lewis impressed judges with a starter of warm soused mackerel with a rocket and blood orange salad, a main of duck breast, assiette of beetroot and kale choucroute and a dessert of Eddisbury grown rhubarb with a yoghurt mousse and basil. Judges praised his commitment to seasonality and well thought out organisation.
Rikki Vidamour – Merseyside - Chef de partie, London Carriage Works, Liverpool
Twenty-year-old Rikki, who has worked at London Carriage Works for three years, chose the ingredients for his heat to show the “wealth of top quality produce the county and region had to offer”. His winning menu comprised a starter of Wards of Birkenhead monkfish, a main of Callum Edge’s Black Faced Suffolk Lamb cooked three ways and a dessert of Claremont Farm rhubarb and almond frangipan with rhubarb soup and prune beignet.
Danielle Heron - Greater Manchester - Second year catering student / trainee chef at Ramson of Ramsbottom, Bury
As well as being a full-time student at Manchester College, 18 year old Danielle works three days a week at Ramson of Ramsbottom, Bury. Her winning menu was a starter of Port of Lancaster smoked haddock with Lytham shrimp risotto, mace cloud, curry oil and baby chard, main of Bowland lamb with fondant, leeks, carrot, Delamere goat’s cheese bon bon and jus, and a Cheshire apple soufflé with caramel ice-cream, jelly and shard for dessert.
If you would like to know more about North West Young Chef, call 01606 541490. There is also a Facebook page (North West Young Chef Competition) for the competition and you can follow events on Twitter (NWYoungChefComp).
