The finalists are:
Reserve: Max Davies, Aizle, Edinburgh
The judges this year in Birmingham were: Alain Roux, James Martin, Sat Bains (Roux Scholar 1999), Simon Hulstone (Roux Scholar 2003). And in London: Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner CBE, Rachel Humphrey, André Garrett (Roux Scholar 2002), Clare Smyth MBE.
Judging at University College Birmingham, Alain Roux said: “It was a really good mystery box and most finalists had a similar idea of serving a filled choux, with good flavours. Some were very simple with the use of chantilly. Personally, I was expecting something a bit more exciting, but we had two outstanding desserts.”
Also judging at University College Birmingham, James Martin said: “There have been highlights today, which were the ones who had obviously practiced their main dish because they mastered that and got it right, so we have two very strong main courses out of it. I think the dessert is always something that they stumble on, but I think changing the way we use the mystery box has certainly helped them focus their attention a lot better.”
Judging at the University of West London, Michel Roux Jr said: “It’s always very challenging and gut-wrenching for some, but even those who didn’t get through have left with a big smile on their faces and they can be very proud of what they achieved. In terms of the food, there was some fantastic choux pastry in the desserts. I think giving our finalists more ingredients in the mystery box has actually worked, in so far as we’ve had some fantastic desserts.”
Also in London, Clare Smyth MBE said: “It is great to see such a strong group of young chefs back fighting for the scholarship. I loved the new mystery box as it gave more freedom for creativity.”
The challenge
The challenge was to cook the recipe they submitted with their application which was blind-judged on 22nd February by our judging panel. At the regional finals at University College Birmingham and the University of West London, the 18 regional finalists cooked their recipes that included: A striploin of dry-aged Heritage beef (without bones), one beef offal (either heart, tongue, or kidney); together plated with two simple or composed garnishes/accompaniments, one of which had to include chicory (Belgian endive) and the other could be a garnish/accompaniment of the contestant’s choice. A sauce had to accompany the dish. They had two and half a half hours’ cooking time for the dish, alongside a dessert to serve four people made from a “mystery box” of ingredients given on the day. The total cost of the complete dish could not exceed £22.00 per portion.
The 2023 mystery box
This year’s mystery box dessert challenge differed from previous competitions: the finalists were tasked with making a dessert with as many or as few ingredients from the 22 items as they liked. They were guided towards demonstrating their skills with choux pastry.
On hearing the announcement, London regional finalist, April Lily Partridge said: “I’m gobsmacked to be in the final, to be honest. I never had the confidence to enter this competition and I was really chuffed to get through to the regionals and I never thought I’d get to the final. When I saw that choux pastry had come up, I thought ‘I’ve never made choux pastry before in my life’, and so it was really tough. I’m so chuffed.”
In Birmingham, finalist Alex Rothnie commented: “That was the fastest two and a half hours I have ever experienced, particularly the last half an hour which was stressful but I’m very happy with the results. I was under a lot of pressure because I work with Tom Barnes, a former winner, and he said many times ‘You’ll get through to the final,’ and so he will be very happy.”
National final – Monday 3 April 2023.
The six finalists will now compete for the title of Roux Scholar 2023 in the Westminster Kingsway College, London final. This time the recipe details will be a complete surprise; 30 minutes before the start of the competition the finalists will be given the ingredients for a main dish, either classic or modern, and given up to three hours to prepare and present it to the judges.
Award Dinner
The 2023 Roux Scholar will be announced at a prestigious award dinner at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, the same evening. The exclusive event will be attended by sponsors, judges and finalists. The winner will receive up to £12,000, a two-month stage at a three-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world, or a bespoke training programme tailored to their interests and skills gaps. In addition, there are a number of superb prizes from our sponsors.
Full details of the national finalists’ prizes can be found here.
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