Bowden wins Compass top chef award

Eurest Defence chef Richard Bowden has been named the first Compass Group Chef of the Year, after beating 18 other leading Compass chefs in a national competition held at Highbury College in Portsmouth last month.

Bowden, who works for Eurest Defence Support Services as executive head chef at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham, won the title after a three-hour competition in which he had to prepare and cook a three-course meal for four covers.

His winning menu comprised crab meat salad with beetroot, curried crème fraîche, king scallops and salsa verde, followed by seared duck breast, wild mushroom, liver and pistachio sausage, creamed celeriac, fennel tart, sautéd sweet potato and morel cream jus, and a dessert of chocolate bavarois, banana liqueur ice-cream, warm toffee sauce, banana fritters and tamarillo syrup.

Runner-up in the competition was Nick Vadis, executive chef for Eurest corporate accounts at British Airways, Waterside, while third place went to Jeremy Ford, head chef for Roux Fine Dining at Twenty Four Restaurant, Tower 42, London.

Bowden received a crystal trophy and £1,000.