His well thought out menu, paying attention to authenticity, sourcing, seasonality, timing and wastage, while creating maximum flavour, texture, balance and style, wowed the judging panel.
It consisted of fillets of mackerel, salted cucumber, mussels, parsley, lemon purée, pak choi and turnip as a starter; saddle of venison, roasted and smoked beets, fig, salsify, rösti, yogurt and cooking juices for the main course; and caramelised white chocolate pannacotta, orange doughnuts and hazelnut ice cream for dessert.
He now follows in the footsteps of Gordon Ramsay, Simon Hulstone, Mark Sargeant, David Everitt-Matthias and last year’s winner Frederick Forster, and walks away with a prize package including cash, an exclusive study trip with dinner at a three starred Michelin restaurant in France, a second study trip to Norway, master classes, as well as specialist chef’s products and equipment.
David Mulcahy, organiser of the competition and Craft Guild vice president, said: “Winning this competition can seriously enhance the career prospects of a chef. The skills required to compete and succeed at this level must be of the highest order. I have the utmost respect for those that enter the National Chef of the Year, congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and Alyn, our winner for 2012.”
Runners up were Joe McCafferty from Chrysan Restaurant, followed by Paul Matthews from The Hunter S Restaurant.
Chairman of judges Philip Howard, chef patron at Michelin starred The Square in Mayfair, said: “It was a great honour for me to watch this year’s finalists prepare their dishes, with such a high standard displayed across the board.
“It was a hard call, but Alyn had that certain edge to put him on a pedestal, a rising star with the potential to become one of Britain’s most respected chefs. Across all three courses his menu was clean, flavoursome and well balanced.”
Winner of the Young National Chef of the Year 2012 was Ben Murphy, chef de partie at Koffmann’s at The Berkeley, with a winning menu consisting of sous vide duck breast, beetroot, goat’s cheese and horseradish; pan fried sea bass, bacon, lemon, yolk and pea; and Calvados savarin, yogurt, apple, tarragon, apple crumble ice cream.
Runners up were Jack Allibone from Simpsons Restaurant in Birmingham, followed by Lewis Gallagher from the Stanley House Hotel & Spa.
Steve Munkley, event organiser and Craft Guild vice president, said: “He was innovative in his recipe development and delivery while being consistent across all three dishes. Ben’s professional working methods shone through and his previous training and competition expertise including WorldSkills has again come to the fore.”
This year’s headline sponsors were Lockhart Catering Equipment, Unilever’s largest brand Knorr and Electrolux. Other sponsors included Barry Callebaut, Blue Arrow Catering, Continental Chef Supplies, Churchill, Culinary Innovation, Gourmet Classic, RARE, Sheffield City College and Westminster Kingsway College.
National Chef of the Year 2012 finalists
Andrew Wright – Restaurant 23
Alyn Williams – Alyn Williams At The Westbury
Joe McCafferty – Chrysan Restaurant
Paul Dunstane – Restaurant Associates
John Howie – Sodexo Prestige
Paul Matthews – The Hunter S Restaurant
Justin Galea – Turnberry Hotel
Hayden Groves – BaxterStorey
Young National Chef of the Year 2012 finalists
Jack Allibone, Simpsons Restaurant, Birmingham
Kristian Curtis, Simpsons Restaurant, Birmingham
Lewis Gallagher, Stanley House Hotel & Spa
Kevin Johnston, Banchory Lodge Hotel, Kincardineshire
Chris Munroe, Royal Garden Hotel, London
Ben Murphy, Koffmann's at The Berkeley, London
Rositsa Nikolova – House of Commons, London
Indalecio Sebastiao, OGH, Guernsey