It is the fifth time Norway has won the competition and last night’s result highlights the dominance of Scandinavian countries, which have now taken precisely half of all gold medals since the competition launched in 1987.
Despite aiming for a podium place, the UK team, led by The Cross in Kenilworth head chef Adam Bennett – placed 10th.
In the 2013 edition of the competition Bennett and commis chef Kristian Curtis secured the highest ever position for the UK placing fourth, just shy of a spot on the coveted podium. The duo also won an award for best meat platter and Curtis was awarded Best Commis.
Taking to Twitter, Bennett said he had 'loved every minute' of the competition, but underlined how tough it was preparing for the competition while running a business and not having the same level of financial support as other countries.
Coveted prize
Devised by legendary Lyonnais chef Paul Bocuse, the biennial competition saw 24 chefs from countries as diverse as Guatemala, South Korea and Morocco battle it out for what is arguably the most coveted prize in competitive cooking.
Orjan Johannessen from restaurant Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri in Austevoll, Norway, shared the podium with Philip Tessier, sous chef at The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Tommy Myllymaki from restaurant Sjön in Jönköping, Sweden.
Held over two days at EurExpo, the Bocuse d’Or is judged by a panel made up of some of the world’s most famous and high-ranking chefs including Thomas Keller - the acclaimed US chef behind The French Laundry and Per Se – and Jonnie Boer, the chef and co-owner of three-Michelin-star Dutch restaurant De Librije. High profile Yorkshireman Brian Turner has been the UK judge since 1989.
Teams – consisting of a chef and a commis - had five hours and thirty five minutes to prepare two complex preparations, one centered around fish and one centered around meat. Each had to demonstrate a mix of classic and contemporary cooking skills and include several different items. This year, the meat platter was based around red label guinea fowl and the fish dish was based on trout.