Open to ambitious young chefs of any background, the Roux’ said “the next scholar could be anyone who has the skills, talent and drive to win - whether they work in a fine dining restaurant or village pub.”
All submissions must be sent by 31 January, meaning that there is still time to ‘master’ the 13 key skills required of a Roux Scholar:
- Roast/ poach a whole fowl, whole joints on the bone, and fish on the bone
- Fillet round and flat fish
- Bone all meat
- Prepare a ‘ballotine’
- Prepare a stuffing: ‘farce fine’, coarse or gratin
- Prepare a ‘mousseline’
- Make sweet or savoury soufflés
- Do a liaison: Roux, beurre manié and use flour, yolks, blood and liver
- Make a pastry base: puff, suet, leavened or shortcrust
- Make emulsified sauces: hollandaise, sabayon, mayonnaise
- Cook ‘à l’étouffée’ and ‘braisé’
- Cook under pressure and under the judges’ gaze
- Exquisite presentation
Chairman Michel Roux Jr said: “To be a Roux Scholar you need to have what it takes to reach the top, but many will be surprised to see they already have the majority of these skills in their repertoire.”
As well as a flair in the kitchen, the next winner will need to spend time practicing in order to be competition-ready, as chairman Alain Roux explained: “If you want to reach and stay at the top of your game, these are some of the key skills you need. Careful practice will help you master them to perfection and set you on your way to becoming a Roux Scholar”.
The competition officially opens next week (12 November), so everyone interested will need to check out the Roux Scholarship website where the recipe ingredients and guidelines will be revealed.
As per 2018, the judges will be looking for creativity, technique, seasonality, flavours, with the panel comprising: Alain Roux, Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner, Andrew Fairlie, Sat Bains, André Garrett, Simon Hulstone, James Martin, Clare Smyth, Rachel Humphrey and Angela Hartnett. The Honorary President of Judges will be announced in due course.
Following the national final (1 April) at Westminster Kingsway College (London), the winner will receive £6,000 to support his/her career development as well as an invitation to cook and train at a three-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world for up to three months.