Boyter sees off the competition
Billy Boyter, junior chef de partie at Ballathie House Hotel, Kinclaven, Perthshire, has triumphed at the second World Junior Masterchef Challenge in New Zealand, from which he returned in July with two gold medals and the overall winner's cup.
Chosen by the Federation of Chefs Scotland to compete against young chefs from New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Australia, 20-year-old Boyter took first place in both the hot and cold kitchen sections of the competition.
In the cold event he answered the challenge to produce three main-course plates with salmon, lamb and rabbit dishes, while his three-course dinner for eight prepared in three-and-a-half hours for the hot section comprised hot smoked salmon with pickled vegetables, mussels, fennel custard and kumquat sauce; roast fillet of lamb with a herb crust, ratatouille, potato and mascarpone tortellini, sweet potato mash, garlic flan, vegetables and red wine jus; and a caramelised banana bavarois with a banana tatin, coconut ice-cream, fruit salsa, mango coulis and banana wafer.
"I knew I'd had a really good day but I didn't think I'd won," said Boyter, who is no stranger to culinary competitions having taken part in Nestlé Toque d'Or, the Watson and Philip Student Chef Challenge and the 2000 Culinary Olympics in Erfurt.
Apart from working at Ballathie House Hotel under head chef Kevin MacGillivray, Boyter attends Glenrothes College part-time to study for an SVQ3 and a Modern Apprenticeship in Catering. In November he heads over to Luxembourg as part of the Scottish Junior Culinary Team for the Culinary World Cup.
