The semi-final cook-off took place at University College Birmingham on Monday and saw the chefs cook up a three-course meal for two covers – with the starter to include fish and/or shellfish, the main course to include British pork and the desert of their choice.
Judges whittled down the competition to the final 10:
- Michael Tweedie, Lucknam Park Hotel, Bath
- Byron Franklin, Pembroke College, Cambridge
- Sheldon Fonseca, The Dorchester Hotel, London
- Raymond Thomson, Stirling Management Centre, Scotland
- Carlos Martinez, Cliveden House, Taplow
- Colin Layfield, Paramount Restaurant, London
- Adam Simmonds, Danesfield House Hotel, Marlow
- Simon Webb, Restaurant Associates, Merrill Lynch, London
- Adam Smith, The Ritz Hotel, London
- Dez Turland, Saunton Sands Hotel, Devon
The final will be held at Hotelympia in the Live Theatre on Monday 27 February. Competitors will have two hours to produce a three-course meal for two covers. The starter and sweet from the semi-final, which they are allowed to tweak; the main course must be Beef and they will be introduced to the cut of beef they must use at a Butchery Workshop at Aubrey Allen on Tuesday 7 February. The winner will receive a prize of £2,500.
A top line-up of judges have been confirmed including Raymond Blanc from Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Alain Roux from The Waterside and Ashley Palmer-Watts from The Fat Duck. They will be looking for chefs who can demonstrate precision in preparation, be inventive in presentation and produce an astounding taste using the Best of British ingredients with great provenances.
The overall winner of BCF's Chef of the Year 2012 will receive a prize of £2,500 and join an elite list of past winners including Luke Tipping and Matt Cheal from the Michelin-starred restaurant Simpsons; Michelin-starred chefs Simon Hulstone and Richard Turner; and Adam Bennett, who recently represented the UK in the Bocuse d’Or.