Food and sherry match test at Salon Culinaire

For chefs not born and brought up in Spain, matching each dish of a three-course meal with an appropriate sherry is not an easy task.

Luckily, the finalists in the inaugural Sherry Sous Chef and Sommelier Wine Waiter of the Year contest will have the expertise of their front of house colleagues to draw on when they vie with each other to take home the title on the final day of competition in the Live Theatre during Le Salon Culinaire at Hotelympia 2002.

The event, which replaces the Rioja Sous Chef Bursary, is sponsored by the Sherry Institute of Spain and takes place on Friday 8 February. The 10 chef and sommelier teams competing in the final will cook and present their meal and sherries over a two-hour time slot. Each duo had to submit their meals and sherry pairings for a paper judging round before the Hotelympia cook-off.

Salon director Peter Griffiths commented: "I think it's going to be difficult to match the food with the sherry. In this country it's not common practice to serve sherry throughout a meal, it's used more as an apperitif. We all know it's much easier to balance a good oaky red wine with a red meat, but the sommeliers have really had to work hard to pair the sherries. It'll a be a true test. The competition's got the makings of being an exciting newcomer to the Salon."

Graham Hines, director of the Sherry Institute of Spain, added: "We introduced this competition to encourage the sous chef and wine waiter teams to create a menu using sherry in one dish but more importantly, matching courses to three of the many styles of sherry available. This may sound easy, but in fact is a real challenge as there are not many established stereotypes to use as a guide.

"They will really have to use both their imaginations and craft skills to devise dishes which bring out the best of both the wine and the food."

Competition prizes include a week-long trip to Jerez in Spain, comprising visits to local vineyards and bodegas and a stage in one of the region's leading restaurants.

The finalists

The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Gwent: Chef, Steven Hill; sommelier, Laurent Richel.
The Lanesborough hotel, London: Chef, Paul Ribbands; sommelier, Frederico Colombo.
Harrods, London: Chef, David Ashby; sommelier, Carlos Paz Coira.
London Club Management, London: Chef, Antoine Amalou; sommelier, Soubabere Beatrice.
The Manor hotel, Meriden, West Midlands: Chef, Kelvin Somerton; sommelier, Collette Knight.
Gleneagles hotel, Auchterarder, Perthshire: Chef, Jonathan Greer; sommelier, Paul Hughes.
The Last Wine Bar & Restaurant, Norwich: Chef, Dory Masri; sommelier, Erwann Limon.
The Richmond Gate hotel, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey: Chef, Simon Green; sommelier, Lisa Wyld.
Brockencote Hall, Kidderminster, Worcestershire: Chef, Stuart Robinson; sommelier, Olivier Montcorge.
Rhodes & Co, Old Trafford, Manchester: Chef, Michael Wilson; sommelier, Adrian Meeks.