Entries Open for The Roux Scholarship 2025

The Roux Scholarship 2025 is open for entries and invites UK-based young chefs to test their culinary skills and compete for the Roux Scholar title and life-changing prizes.

Culminating in a celebratory final and winner announcement on 14 April 2025, this year, chefs will be asked to compete by using key ingredients focused on the theme of the British seaside as Chairman Alain Roux explains: “We’re celebrating the great British seaside with some superb yet affordable ingredients; all are highly versatile, seasonal and sustainable. The trick will be to carefully balance the delicate, distinct, clean flavours of the gurnard and mussels with the earthy, sweet parsnip and seemingly more exotic red dulse. We’re looking to be inspired and delighted by some delicious, creative dishes.”

Chairman Michel Roux said: “Gurnard is such a wonderful fish to cook with. Its meaty, firm texture means it can handle bold flavours and different styles of cooking. Mussels, parsnips and red dulce open up a kaleidoscope of possibilities to accompany it.”

To enter and compete, applicants must be chefs in the United Kingdom aged 22 or above, but not older than 30 years of age. The chefs are invited to create their own recipe using a delicious range of ingredients as their first step to a potentially life-changing experience.

The chefs must create a recipe for four people using two whole dayboat Cornish red gurnards each weighing anywhere between 700g – 900g (maximum 1kg), 600g live St. Austell deep sea mussels, some fresh (or dried) red dulse seaweed, together with two simple or composed garnishes/accompaniments, one garnish/accompaniment must include parsnip and the other can be the chef’s choice. One of these can be served separately, if preferred and finally a sauce must accompany the dish.

Interested?

To take part chefs must register their entry on the website. They will then receive an invitation to complete the recipe application online form.

Entrants have until midnight on Monday 20 January 2025 to submit their recipes via the online application system.

6 March 2025: Regional finalists compete, each cooking their written recipe plus a mystery basket dessert recipe challenge.  Regional finals take place at University College Birmingham and University of West London. Six national finalists will be shortlisted.

14 April 2025: National Final at The Waterside Inn Culinary School, with the award ceremony taking place at Coworth Park, Berkshire.

Prizes

• The winner will choose from two-star prizes: the two-month stage at a three-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world, or a bespoke training plan tailored to the chef’s skills and knowledge gaps. In addition, the winner receives £6,000, to support their career development as well as a host of fabulous prizes from our sponsors.
• The 2024 competition will be the fifth year the Mentorship Award is offered as a prize. As well as the £6,000 awarded to the winner for their career development, an additional £6,000 is awarded to them on completion of 15 months’ service with their current employer after they win. Should they take up a new role in that time, the funds will be awarded to the original employer to help in the development of the remaining brigade.
• Go to rouxscholarship.co.uk for more information about the Roux Scholarship competition and details of the long list of prizes, courtesy of our sponsors and preferred partners.

ENTER THE ROUX SCHOLARSHIP 2025