The chefs are Harrison Brockington (Gather, Totnes); Ben Miller (Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal. London); Karol Ploch (Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, London); Jordan Randerson (The Elephant, Torquay); Liam Smith (Restaurant Pine, Tyne and Wear); Evelina Stripeikyte (The Glenturret Lalique, Crieff).
These six national finalists will compete for the title of Roux Scholar 2024 on 8 April at the recently launched Alain Roux Culinary School at The Waterside Inn in Bray.
The judging panel was made up of some of the biggest names in the industry including Angela Hartnett, Sat Bains and Clare Smyth.
“That was an extraordinary cook off with six very talented chefs. I think all the chefs managed the brief really well, and the use of the sweet potato and the kidneys was perfect,” says Michel Roux Jr. “We had spicy, we had braised, we deep fried, we had a ragu – I thought it was all really clever. We have an incredible line-up for the 40th anniversary final. It’s going to be epic!”
Marking its 40th anniversary this year, the Roux Scholarship is one of the most high profile cooking competitions in the UK with past winners including Gordon Ramsay, Mark Birchall, Sat Bains and Andrew Fairlie.
