Search for a star

The quest to find the next generation of top culinary talent is back, with entries for the prestigious UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year 2016 competition open until 31 March.

Now in its 17th year, the Young Seafood Chef of the Year is the only seafood competition of its kind open to full-time, college based modern apprentice chefs across the UK, under the age of 25.
The event is highly regarded across the industry for the valuable experience it allows contestants to gain and for the calibre of judges it attracts. The 2016 panel includes some of the most prominent and well-known chefs in the UK today.
Cyrus Todiwala, famed for his Pan-Asian cuisine, has recently announced his involvement alongside celebrity barbeque chef Ben Bartlett, noted authority on Italian food Valentina Harris, and gastronomic genius Franck Pontais. Serge Nollent, executive development chef at Young’s and Nikki Hawkins, events manager at Selfish, will also be putting the contestants through their paces.

This year’s star-studded judging panel will be looking for talented young chefs capable of demonstrating flair, skill, ability and understanding when it comes to preparing and cooking with seafood from sustainable sources.
Competition organisers, Seafish and the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education (GIFHE), are encouraging catering colleges and their budding student chefs to enter in teams of two by downloading an application pack and submitting it for consideration by 31 March.
There is a host of fantastic prizes up for grabs including £500 for each team member, a unique Thermomix TM31 food processor and a £1,000 voucher for the winning college to spend on Russums catering equipment.
Teams are challenged with submitting a creative three course menu by post using the species outlined in the competition rules, in preparation for the paper judging to take place ahead of the regional heats.

Those selected for the regional heats to be held in Birmingham, Llandrillo and Paisley this May, will be required to cook their menu for the six judges within a three hour timeframe.
The winners from each region will then go through to the final on 10 June in Grimsby, where they will be asked to create a new three course meal using species specifically chosen for them.
For entry forms and more information, visit: www.ukseafood.co.uk/rules-and-applications.