Winners of Wales’ premier culinary contests to be announced tonight

Seven talented chefs must wait until tonight (Wednesday) to discover if they have won the coveted Junior Chef of Wales and Welsh Vegan Chef of the Year titles.

The finals were held on the third and final day of the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) at ICC Wales, Newport today.

Winners of both competitions, together with the National Chef of Wales and Welsh Apprentice Butcher of the Year, will be announced at a Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony to close the WICC, which is organised by the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW).

The Junior Chef of Wales finalists were Katie Duffy who works at The Halfway, Llanelli who finished third last year, Junior Culinary Team Wales captain Calum Smith who works at Shrewsbury School for Independents by Sodexo, Sudam Wijetunga and Gold Ayinia-Adeyemi, both from Newport who work at Celtic Manor Resort.

The chefs were given two-and-a-half hours to cook a three course pescatarian meal for six diners with a plant-based starter suitable for a vegan diet, a main course featuring Chirk Farm Trout and a dessert including one hot and one chocolate element. The competition is sponsored by Cygnet Gin.

The winner is automatically seeded into the UK semi-final of the Young National Chef of the Year and may also be selected to compete in the Global Young Chef Challenge final at next year’s Worldchefs Congress & Expo, which is being hosted by the CAW at ICC Wales.

The Welsh Vegan Chef of the Year finalists were Rebekah Wright and Celtic Manor Resort, Newport colleague Byron Burns, from Pontypool and former National Chef of Wales winner Ryan Jones, from Maesteg, head chef at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff.

They cooked a three course menu for six diners in two-and-a-half hours. The competition, sponsored by Henley Bridge, challenged chefs to cook an appetiser with 50% warm components, a main course with a minimum of three components, including microgreens and a dessert including chocolate, tea and two fruit puree products.

Colin Gray, CAW judging panel chairman, said: “The Junior Chef of Wales competition showcases some of the country’s best young talent who displayed excellent skills. However, the winning chef’s dishes stood out, demonstrating exceptional skills and elegance.

“The Vegan Chef of the Year final was very fiercely contested and the highlight of the championships for me. The three chefs stepped up to the challenge with their dishes which was very encouraging at a time when we are seeking a representative to go forward to the vegan chef final at the Worldchefs Congress & Expo next year.”

The Junior Chef of Wales finalists’ menus were:

Smith served up a starter of vegan burrito pannacotta, chilled beetroot and Cygnet Gin, purple beetroot chutney, lemon salted yellow beetroot, petit blackberries and blackberry puree, savoury granola and nasturtiums.

His main course was Chirk Farm Trout, avocado mousse, trout tartlet, hot smoked trout and herb pasta, Cygnet Gin compressed cucumber, tenderstem broccoli with chervil emulsion and crispy seaweed, dulce and white castle rose sauce. Dessert was dark chocolate and raisin financier, sesame tuille, raisins soaked in Barti rum, salted chocolate and rum sauce and vanilla and cream cheese espuma.

Duffy’s menu opened with a starter of crispy potato rosti, wild mushrooms, pickled red onions, guacamole and garlic aioli. Her main course was buttery pan fried trout, cauliflower puree, apple and fennel salad, beetroot dust and caviar. Dessert was chocolate Basque cheesecake, granola, namelaka, candied pecans and toffee sauce.

Gold’s starter was vegan bao buns filled with slices of cucumber and carrots and red and white cabbage soaked in red pickling liquor. Her main course was trout accompanied by spicy pilaf rice with gem lettuce and garlic and herb sauce. Dessert was marble chocolate cake accompanied with tuille, custard and chocolate mousse.

Wijetunga’s menu opened with red beetroot, pickled candy beetroot and golden beetroot, balsamic drizzled tomato and red onion, pea puree and vegan feta cheese. His main course was pan fried and poached trout fillets, crispy potato fondant, charred confit leeks, spinach, caramelised onion and leek puree with beurre blank. Dessert was chocolate lava cake, Penderyn Peated Welsh Whisky with whipped cream, raspberry coulis and hazelnut crumble.

In the Welsh Vegan Chef final, Wright served up a starter of pea asparagus, confit onion tart, Blas y Tir leek dust and micro cress salad. Her main course was cauliflower cashew rarebit, onion nest caramelised cauliflower, red pepper compote, chickpea, shallot, shiso and nasturtiums oil. Her dessert was chocolate tofu mousse, Earl Grey tea pannacotta, coconut cream truffle, creme Chantilly and mango gel.

Burns’s menu opened with mushroom tortellini, chestnut and truffle, garlic and nasturtiums. His main course was cauliflower steak, puree, crispy rice, curry and shiso leaf. His dessert was chocolate cremeux, coconut fudge, mango jelly and Earl Grey caramel.

Jones cooked a starter of barbecue miatake mushroom, Jerusalem artichoke and dashi, followed by a main course of braised miso celeriac, kohlrabi choucroute and celeriac puree. His dessert was Earl Grey sponge, mango curd, white chocolate panache and coconut sorbet.

Sponsors of the WICC are Castell Howell, Cambrian Training Company, Roller Grill UK, MCS Technical Products, Capital Cuisine, Churchill, Cygnet Gin, Henley Bridge, Food and Drink Wales, Kentaur, City & Guilds UK, Essential Cuisine, Ecolab, Hybu Cig Cymru / Meat Promotion Wales, Terry’s Patisserie Ltd, Willo Game, Fresh & Tasty Microgreens, Radnor Hills and Friedr Dick GmbH & Co.

Picture captions:

Katie Duffy competing in the Junior Chef of Wales final.

Byron Burns perfecting his dessert in the Welsh Vegan Chef of the Year final.

Ends