Defence chef Stephen Morrison impressed the judges with the presentation and flavour of his dish – pan-seared partridge breast with leek, bacon, wild mushroom with braised lentils, celeriac puree and port jus – to come out on top after the two-day competition.
He beat off four other finalists in an exciting cook-off at Knorr’s Kitchen, at Unilever Food Solutions, including his friend and fellow RAF Leeming colleague William Seddon –by one point.
The competition which took place over two days saw Morrison and Seddon beat 14 other RAF chefs to secure their places in the first day final, whilst 16 healthcare and education chefs competed on day two for the final. These heats were secured by Jack Raynes, healthcare development chef, and Sinead Isitt, from Lowther Primary School, Barnes.
The four finalists had one hour to create a main meal dish from a selection of autumnal and seasonal produce, including: game, rabbit, bacon, carrots, leek, onions and green beans, as well as a selection of Unilever Food Solutions’ ingredients such as Knorr Bouillon, Knorr Gravy, Flora Buttery and Colman’s mustard.
Andy Jones, service development director at ISS, said: “I’m very proud of all the finalists that have taken part in this competition – it makes me glad to be working with some of the best chefs in the country. 2012 has been the year of the Olympics and all our finalists raised the bar and took the gold.”
Morrison said: “I’ve done a lot of RAF competitions in the past, but this is the first time I’ve entered ISS Chef of the Year – and to win on my first attempt is absolutely brilliant. This is a high accolade to bring home to the camp and I know everyone in my team is going to be very proud. It’s given me a lot of confidence to continue doing what I’m doing – I look forward to passing some tips down to my team and next year’s contestants when I sit on the judging panel.”
He added: “There was definitely no rivalry between William and I. In fact, we had a few chats the night before the final about what we might prepare.”
The judges reviewed all of the dishes against a criteria based on presentation, flavour, creativity and innovation, as well as hygiene and food safety.