Junior and Senior Kent Young Chef Award winners announced

Perkins won the Junior title with his original Gamekeeper's Supper, made with pheasant caught locally by his gamekeeper father. Perkins demonstrated an "unflappable style" that bowled the judges over to produce a "well seasoned and flavoursome dish that worked beautifully" using ingredients sourced from the 'Garden of England'. Commenting on his win Perkins said: "This is brilliant! It's been such a tough competition with a really high standard of dishes so I'm absolutely thrilled to win! I love cooking and just feel so free when I cook. Kent Young Chef Award has been a brilliant experience and I think it's really good for children and young people to be doing something like this." And Yap of The New School at West Heath, won the Senior trophy with his ballotine of guinea fowl & duxelle stuffing with spinach tagliatelle, chestnut purée, mushrooms & bacon, which the judges said was a "good all round dish with Autumnal flavours". Commenting on his win Steven Yap said: "Kent Young Chef Award has been a really good experience, I've thoroughly enjoyed it. It's great!" The eight competitors cooked up their dishes in front of a live audience and the judging panel including celebrity chef Richard Phillips of GMTV's Lorraine Kelly and BBC TV's Ready, Steady, Cook fame; Claire Wood the head chef at Woods Restaurant, Produce Store & Bars in The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells; as well as Thanet College lecturer Sue George. Judge Richard Phillips said: "It's an honour to inspire these young people and to reinforce their enthusiasm and passion. It's great to see such talent and flair come through in a competition such as Kent Young Chef Award." The two 2010 winners will travel to Woods Restaurant in The Pantiles at Tunbridge Wells to design a three course dinner for the Kent Young Chef Award Charity Dinner on Thursday 20 January 2011. The evening, which is open to anyone in the county to attend, will include a three course meal designed by Thomas Perkins and Steven Yap with head chef Claire Wood.