Hide chef Martin Carabott wins the 2018 Roux Scholarship

By Sophie Witts

- Last updated on GMT

Hide chef Martin Carabott wins the 2018 Roux Scholarship
Martin Carabott, senior sous chef at Hide in London, has won the 2018 Roux Scholarship.

The 29-year-old, who was a national finalist in 2016 and 2017, beat five other chefs in a cook-off at Westminster Kingsway College yesterday (26 March).

The chefs had three hours to prepare and serve ‘Pigeonneaux Valenciennes-style, with a vin jaune sauce’ in front of judges including joint chairmen Alain and Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner, Simon Hulstone, Angela Hartnett and Clare Smyth.

The winner was announced at a ceremony at The Langham, London last night.

“As with all the Scholarship final recipes, there is a core challenge at its heart, this time to debone a pigeon which is a small, fiddly bird,” says Alain. 

“To perform this successfully took not only skill but also time and careful planning. This recipe was a real challenge, but the winner was outstanding.”

Last year’s scholar Luke Selby works alongside Carabott​ at Ollie Dabbous’ Hide, which opens in April.

Selby is head chef at the fine dining restaurant Above, while Carabott is senior sous chef at Ground.

His prize includes £6,000 and the chance to train at a three-Michelin-star restaurant anywhere in the world for up to three months.

Martin-Carabott-dish
Martin Carabott's winning dish

The five other finalists were Ben Champkin from L’Enclume, Cumbria; Oliver Marlow from Roganic, London; Sam Nash from L’Enclume, Cumbria; Fergus Wilford from Cliveden House; and Ryan Porter from Northcote, Lancashire.

A film of this year’s Roux Scholarship will be broadcast as part of Saturday Kitchen on Saturday 31st​ March on BBC1.

The competition was founded in 1984 and is overseen by the Roux family, with previous winners including Sat Bains (1999), Andre Garrett (2002) and Hulstone (2003).

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