UCB chefs win the UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year 2012 challenge

The duo's winning menu comprised: langoustine bisque composition, pea purée, parma shard and seaweed sour dough; saffron poached salmon, fennel cream, liquorice tuille with a pink peppercorn dressing; followed by potato scaled fillet of plaice and spinach paupiette, black dahl, cauliflower pakoras, golden raisins and spiced almond cream Their prizes include the coveted trophy, £1,000, £1,000 worth of cookery equipment for their college, and a year's free membership to the Craft Guild of Chefs. Second place was awarded to Hopwood Hall College and third place to Exeter College. Eighteen year old Lewis said: "It's an amazing feeling to have won; it makes all the hard work we have put in over the past few months worthwhile. It's the first time I've entered the competition, and I wanted to explore the way in which we use seafood. I was happy to get into the final, but didn't expect to win." The final was streamed live over the internet via the competition website (www.ukseafood.co.uk) and to televisions in Grimsby Institute's Gallery Restaurant where sponsors and supporters of the competition watched the finalists battle it out in the kitchens. The other finalists were: Blackpool & The Fylde College, City College Norwich, Exeter College, Hopwood Hall College, Oxford & Cherwell College (Oxford Campus), South Downs College and Yorkshire Coast College. The competition founded by the Grimsby Institute's hospitality department in 1997 and is supported by companies such as Young's, Seafish, Seachill, Sealord and the GoodCatch project. Competition organiser Paul Robinson said: "This competition is a fantastic opportunity for young chefs to compete on a national platform within the educational sector of professional cookery training; the experience this gives them will be invaluable throughout their careers. "Our sponsors provide a great deal of support, which includes the supply of the sustainable produce that is used. We feel it is important to promote this in the competition and it is a great way to teach the learners about the importance of using sustainable produce and learn more about some of the world's leading suppliers who they will undoubtedly be working with in the future." Judges for this year's final included celebrity chefs Mitch Tonks and Franck Pontais; Serge Nollent, head product development chef for Young's, and Seafish's foodservice and events manager Nikki Hawkins. Nollent said: "I looked specifically at presentation and the flavour of the dishes, the mix of ingredients and the overall skills. When the plates arrived and we tasted eac of the dishes I was very impressed with the standard, which improves year on year." • The 2013 UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year rules will be available online later this year and should be released in early December. Find more details at www.ukseafood.co.uk