And the winner is…

As an ingredient, duck is often overlooked on menus. So, to raise its profile, duck breeder and processor Cherry Valley recently held a competition to test the skills of the nation's chefs.

Entrants were first asked to submit a recipe for a paper judging (there were no limits on the ingredients, or the style of presentation), and three chefs were shortlisted to take part in a cook-off in Cherry Valley's development kitchen in the heart of the Lincolnshire countryside last month.

The chefs' backgrounds couldn't have been more different, hailing from the one-Michelin-starred Mulberry restaurant at Charlton House in Shepton Mallet, near Bath; WestminsterKingsway College in London; and Le Méridien hotel, Gatwick, West Sussex. The chefs were given two hours to prepare, cook and serve their chosen dish.

But it was the youngest competing chef, 21-year-old Adam Gerrish, a chef de partie at Charlton House, who succeeded on the day with a dish that he had created with his head chef Adam Fellows - breast of duck with a herb croustillant, caramelised nectarines, asparagus and a juniper berry-scented jus.

Gerrish received a cash prize of £500, while runners-up Dermott Seberry, a chef-lecturer at WestminsterKingsway, and David Woods, executive head chef at Le Méridien, Gatwick, received £300 each.

The competition was judged by Cherry Valley's development chef, Peter Blankley, marketing manager - food service, Diane Semley, and Caterer's food and equipment editor Amanda Afiya.

The winning recipe

Breast of duck with a herb croustillant, caramelised nectarines, asparagus and a juniper berry-scented jus