Dutnall in top slot in competition recount
It was a case of better late than never for Michael Dutnall. Having been placed third in the Best European Apprentice competition in May, Dutnall, a 20-year-old commis chef at the Connaught Hotel in London, came away with nothing.
However, a miscalculation on the day of the competition, organised by Maître Cuisinier de France and held in Normandy, was later discovered and Dutnall was found to have received the top marks in the fish category for his interpretation of paupiette de sole Nordique (braised fillet of sole wrapped in salmon, served with a white wine sauce and garnished with salmon eggs and cucumber).
The mistake was rectified when the president of Maître Cuisinier de France, Michel Blanchet, flew to London to present Dutnall with his rightful trophy.
Dutnall follows in the footsteps of Spencer Kells and Danny Guest, who took the overall title of Best European Apprentice in 1999 and 1998 respectively, while working as commis chefs at the Connaught.
