Braehead Foods in association with specialist venison producer
Highland Game are pleased to announce the finalists in the search
for the 2018 Game Chef of the Year competition.
The finalists are:
Barry Gamble - Chelsea Market, Glasgow
Grant Holloway - The Lovat, Loch Ness
Graham Mitchell - Cock & Bull, Balmedie
Jonathan Ferguson - Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Gleneagles Hotel,
Auchterarder
Tom Maine - Black Bull Moulton, Richmond, Darlington
Anastasios Nefitos - The Newport Restaurant, Newport-on-Tay,
Fife
Allesandro Panella - One Aldwych, London
Colin Layfield - Searcys Grand St. Pancras, London
Ross Cochrane - Rothesay Rooms, Ballater, Aberdeenshire
Michael Wickham - Royal Automobile Club, London
Now in its seventh year, the competition involves a nationwide
search to find the best upcoming, professional game chef with
entries flooding in from all over the UK.
Applicants were required to submit two fresh and innovative game
based dishes, one starter and one main course using some of the
finest game produce the UK has to offer, from which the judges
selected their 10 finalists.
They will be required to prepare, cook and present their two
game dishes to a panel of judges at The Cook School Scotland in
January. The judging panel comprises of regular Game Chef
judges and Michelin star chefs Ian McAndrew and Paul Gayler MBE,
along with Michelin star chefs Shay Cooper from The Goring, London
and Gary Jones of Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire.
Last year's top prize was claimed by Steven Walker from Loch
Lomond Golf Club with Olivia Baggley from Wilton's Restaurant in
London and Nick Nozeman from The Lovat in Loch Ness named as joint
runners up. Steven's winning menu included a starter of hare saddle
with parsley sponge, parsley gel, salt baked celeriac fondant,
celeriac puree, chocolate oil and cocoa nibs but his main course
stole the show. He served woodcock breasts and legs with onion
squash puree, pancetta lardons, onion shells, gnocchi, morel
mushrooms, sprout leaves and a red wine jus, delighting the
judges.
The cook off will take place on Monday 29th January when the
chefs will fight it out for the chance to be crowned Game Chef of
the Year 2018 with the prize being a once in a lifetime trip to
Sweden to hunt wild boar and all finalists will receive £100
cash.
Chief executive of Braehead Foods, Craig Stevenson said: "The
competition has been running for many years now and each year the
number and quality of entries exceeds our expectations. We want the
chefs who are working and creating delicious recipes using game
meats across the UK to be recognised for what they do."