CHEFS from five Scottish restaurants are among the finalists in this year’s National Chef of the Year competition.
Iain Gourlay of Cringletie House Hotel in the Scottish Borders, Christopher Niven of Marine North Berwick in East Lothian, Russell Plowman of Restaurant Andrew Fairlie in Perthshire, Thomas Swaby of Inverlochy Castle in Fort William and Gary Townsend of One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow are among the 12 chefs who will battle it out in the final of the competition in October.
The final stage of the contest, taking place on 21st October at CORD by Le Cordon Bleu in London, will see each competitor serving up the original menus they submitted from the entry stage of the competition. They each include a vegetarian starter incorporating ingredients from the Knorr Future 50 Foods List, a main course focused on British meat and fish and a dessert which should “reflect the start of the pandemic, when ingredients were sparse, and households turned to baking for comfort”.
The final will be streamed live on the competition website.
Michelin Star chef Paul Ainsworth, chair of the judges, said: “What a final we’ve got ahead of us with this incredible top twelve!
“There have been some truly creative and delicious looking dishes demonstrated in the first two stages of the competition and we can’t wait to taste them in the next round. This is the UK’s toughest culinary competition and any chef who puts themself forward in these challenging times deserves the utmost respect and recognition.
“I’m so honoured to support these twelve chefs as the chair of judges and can’t wait to find the next winner. That chef is certain to go down in history with their winning menu reflecting the toughest times our industry has ever faced.”
