De Vere and Village Leisure name Young Chefs of the Year
Two chefs emerged victorious from a day of competition held at the Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies last month to decide the De Vere and Village Leisure Hotels Young Chefs of the Year.
Shane Ankers of the De Vere hotel, Carden Park, Cheshire, and Lisa Bache of the Village Leisure hotel, Cardiff, each beat three other finalists in two-hour cook-offs - one for each of the two hotel groups. Having won through to the finals by submitting a paper entry detailing a three-course menu not exceeding £8 per head (and including two products from Nestl‚ Foodservice, which sponsored the competition), the chefs were required to prepare their menu for four covers. The judging panel - chaired by Idris Caldora, chief executive of Bank Restaurants, and including chef to the England football team, Roger Narbett - were awarding marks for originality, balance, taste, texture, presentation and portion size.
Ankers's menu comprised a brandade of smoked cod with plum tomato and pepper gazpachio and a seared scallop; loin of venison with red cabbage, cardamom-braised pear and accompanying vegetables; chocolate pudding soufflé with banana parfait, caramelised bananas and chocolate sauce. Bache prepared sautéd baby tiger prawns on a warm salad of young asparagus and baby leeks with a tomato and balsamic vinaigrette; pan-fried medallions of pork coated in an egg and Parmesan batter, on a spaghetti of vegetables with petite marmite cocotte potatoes and a port essence; heart-shaped shortbread filled with a citrus mousse with a tropical compote and a passion fruit coulis.
Both winners receive three days' work experience at Bank restaurant, Birmingham, under the supervision of Idris Caldora, a set of Global knives and £500 cash.
