Barnes, who was a finalist in last year’s competition, battled against fellow chefs Scott Dineen from Goldman Sachs, London, (Baxterstorey); Sabrina Gidda, AIG Group, London, (Restaurant Associates); Richard Pascoe, Oulton Hall, West Yorkshire, (De Vere Hotels); David Salt, BNY Mellon, London, (Restaurant Associates); and David White, Barclays Wealth, London, (ISS).
Commenting on Barnes’ win, Michel Roux Snr said: “It is great to see a repeat finalist and that he had enough guts to enter, and not only to enter but he won hands down. A wonderful piece of work – clean, beautifully seasoned.
“When you have been to the final before it can work for or against you. You can think to yourself ‘what am I doing here again?’ or you can just go there and tell yourself ‘this time it’s going to be mine’. He did what he knew in his mind he wanted to do.”
Speaking at the awards ceremony at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, London, Barnes said: “Although I’d made the final last year, this year was harder; there was a big time pressure and I was still very nervous. It wasn’t any easier second time around, as you don’t know what you’re going to get to cook. L’Enclume staff have been very supportive and helped me practise dishes, but I hadn’t cooked this before.”
The young chefs had two and three-quarter hours to cook the Escoffier-inspired recipe in front of the judges. Joining the Roux family this year were Brian Turner, Gary Rhodes, David Nicholls, James Martin, Andrew Fairlie and Angela Hartnett.
Barnes receives £5,000, courtesy of the Savoy Educational Trust, to support his development and an invitation to cook and train under the supervision of a leading chef at a prestigious three Michelin-starred restaurant anywhere in the world for up to three months.