Leo Deglane, 21, a chef de partie from Carden Park Hotel in Cheshire; Arthur Quin, 19, a chef de partie from Cumbria’s Punchbowl Inn; Rachel Prendergrast, 20, an apprentice chef at Manchester’s Abode Hotel; Louise Williams, 20, pastry chef at The Tavern in Mold; Daniel Heffy, 21, a chef de partie at The Liverpool Art School and Cameron Norris, 21, a chef de partie at Stanley House Hotel and Spa in Lancashire, began the day at British charcuterer, Woodall’s, learning more about traditional curing and smoking methods, before heading to Manchester’s Midland Hotel, home to The French.
Head Chef Mark Birchall, who splits his time between The French and Rogan’s world renowned L’Enclume, was on hand to take the young chefs through three dishes, a scallop and cauliflower appetiser with spiced strawberry puree, an artichoke dish incorporating roasted, pureed and crisped artichokes topped with goats cheese mousse, mustard, red pak choi, radish and chrysanthemum leaves and a dessert with poached and granité rhubarb with sabayon based yoghurt and sorrel syrup.
The day was topped off with a three-course lunch in the restaurant providing time for the finalists to learn more about each other and exchange ideas and experiences.
Brian Mellor, chairman of judges, said: “The masterclass provides a fantastic chance for young and often inexperienced chefs to spend valuable time with a top chef – someone who has been in their shoes and knows what it takes to be the best. Mark delivered an inspirational demo that should help fire them up for the final. Our thanks to him, the Midland Hotel and to Woodall’s for a fantastic, educational day. Bring on the final.”
The final, held at Manchester College on May 7th, will see the young chefs creating three local and seasonal standout courses, in a bid to wow judges.
Alongside the kudos of being crowned the North West Young Chef of the Year, the eventual winner will receive £500 and automatically qualify for the semi-finals of The Young National Chef of the Year competition, where they will square off against some of the best young chefs in the country.