Quest to be the best

Carl Williams, first commis at London's Connaught Hotel, was a worried man. The 21-year-old was just 12 hours away from taking part in one of the toughest international competitions: to find the best apprentice chef in Europe.

Nine young apprentices from all over the continent had gathered with their chef mentors at the Técomah school, Versailles, Paris, for Le Concours du Meilleur Apprenti Cuisinier d'Europe.

A tour of the college's kitchens a day before the cook-off was causing some panic. The apprentices were worried they would not be able to find the right equipment. "What will happen if someone steals my savarin?" asks the Spanish competitor.

Williams was at the event with mentor Martin Green, executive sous chef at the Connaught. The young chef had been through the entire menu six times before with Green, but was still apprehensive about what lay ahead of him.

As well as worrying about the standards of the other candidates, the language barrier was a concern. Most of the apprentices speak French, yet Williams knows only a few kitchen phrases.

His task was to cook a three-course classical menu in five hours. Two of the courses were specified down to the last detail, but the style of dessert was open to a certain amount of interpretation. No ingredients other than those specified were allowed, however.

Points would be deducted if competitors deviated from the agreed ingredients and recipes. Competitors would be watched closely by one of the accompanying chefs from Luxembourg, a member of the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France, and a tutor from the Técomah school. The mentors accompanying the young chefs were also involved in the judging process. Points were to be awarded on the chefs' working practice and orderliness, as well as taste and appearance of the final dishes.

A French commis was available for each competitor to do the running and collect any extra equipment required by the apprentice. But it was this that proved a sticking point for Williams.

When it came to the cook-off at 7am the next day, the British apprentice's poor knowledge of French meant he had difficulty expressing what he wanted his runner to do.

"The commis got me into trouble with one of the dishes," explains Williams. "He asked me if I wanted the cream whipped for the savarin, then went ahead and did it. I could not explain that I was not ready for it."

Williams was not alone in having language problems. The English, Irish and German chef mentors accompanying the apprentice chefs also needed the menu and rules to be translated for them.

Not everything progressed smoothly in the cooking stakes, either. The French competitor presented his fish dish incorrectly and was asked to do it again. Luckily, although he presented the dish late, he escaped losing points.

At the end of the five-hour cook-off, Williams was disappointed with his performance. "It just did not come out the way I wanted. The kitchen judges commented that my savarin looked good, but when I added the Grand Marnier, it went wrong," he says.

At the gala dinner following the cook-off, it is announced that the Belgian competitor, Donald Loriaux, had clinched first place. His dishes consistently scored the highest marks, earning him the title of Le Meilleur Apprenti Cuisinier d'Europe. His prize includes: a holiday for two; knives; cookery books; Champagne; Grand Marnier; luggage; and a CD player.

Williams finishes seventh and is philosophical about the placing. "It was a really hard competition, cooking for five hours with photographers in the way, and my lack of understanding French," he says.

Apprentices of Europe

The annual competition is run by the Maître Cuisiniers de France, an organisation with about 350 members who each pay a £500 annual membership fee. To qualify for membership, a chef must be at least 35 years old and be proposed by two existing members.

Williams was picked to represent the UK because the executive chef at the Connaught, Michel Bourdin, is a member. The Irish and Spanish apprentices also heard about the competition through their head chefs' contacts with the organisation.

Other competitors were selected after having won national heats to secure a place in the European cook-off in Paris. The French competitor, Van Quoc Tran, beat 300 apprentice chefs to get to the competition. Similarly, the German competitor, Joerg Dattler, beat competition from 200 young apprentice chefs in the Freiborg region.

Although apprenticeship schemes are flourishing in many European countries, they are under threat in the UK because hotels and restaurants have neither the budget nor the time to devote to them.

The French government provides funds to restaurateurs taking on young chefs and, according to the chefs from Italy, Spain and Belgium, there is no lack of apprenticeship schemes in their countries either. In fact, the Belgian apprentice reports there are not enough students to fill the schemes.

For next year's young European apprentice competition, the Connaught will not be sending an entrant. Instead, the Académie Culinaire de France will use its Culinary Awards of Excellence as a vehicle for selecting a competitor.

Michel Bourdin, executive chef at the Connaught and chancellor of the Académie, hopes this will encourage more apprentices to participate. He has strong views on the lack of apprenticeship schemes in the UK. "We have been going backwards with training schemes in the UK. If we do not train for the future, there will be no future," he concludes.