Martin Carabott wins BCF Chef of the Year 2016

12 April 2016 by Katherine Alano

Martin Carabott has been crowned 2016 British Culinary Federation Chef of the Year at an industry awards dinner held at University College Birmingham on Monday night (11 April).

As the 15th winner of the competition, Carabott joins an elite group of past winners and Michelin-starred chefs which includes Simon Hulstone, Luke Tipping, Richard Turner and Adam Bennett.

Carabott, from the RAC Club, London, was one of 10 leading chefs to reach the final cook off, which was compèred and judged under the watchful eye of TV chef Brian Turner.

This year the chefs were tasked with producing a three-course meal for two covers centred on using a dry-aged rump of beef from the Butchery Masterclass.

Martin Carabott's winning starter of dashi risotto, shellfish, crispy rice and shiso

Carabott impressed the judges with his menu of dashi risotto, shellfish, crispy rice and shiso followed by grilled picanha of Aubrey Allen's 21-day dry aged beef, green peppercorn, sweet potato, garlic and purple broccoli. For dessert he produced iced Jersey cream with orange blossom and blood orange meringue.

Judges included Ashley Palmer-Watts, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal; Roger Narbett MCA, chairman of judges; Sat Bains, Restaurant Sat Bains; Brian Turner CBE; Benoit Blin, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons; Anthony Keravec, Les Toques Blanches Lyonnaises and Adam Handling, previous Chef of the Year winner.

Sponsored by Aubrey Allen, AHDB and Grant Sous Vide, Carabott has won £2,500, the opportunity to join the squad of the English National Culinary Team in Erfurt, Germany in October at the Culinary Olympics, an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Restaurant Assocation (NRA) Show in Chicago to promote the Best of British and a SV200 stirring unit from Grant Sous Vide.

The runner-up was Jamie Park, Adam Handling at Caxton, London, while Andy Wright, from Restaurant 23, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire came third.

Competition organiser and BCF president Peter Griffiths said: "With the opportunity to join the national team squad as well as flying the flag for British produce at the NRA in Chicago, this competition continues to attract some of the industry's best. The standards we have seen this year have been a credit to all concerned."

Finalists