The Idea
32 teams from all around the world will compete in Luxembourg, for the culinary world, with the UK taking it's first steps in the competition
The Team
Hot Kitchen
- Simon Hulstone Chef/Patron, The Elephant, Torquay (Hot Team Captain) Starters
- Adam Smith Premiere Sous Chef, The Ritz, London Starters
- Andy Jones Executive Chef, The Westbury, London Main Course
- Clark Crawley Head Chef Restaurant Associates Main Course
- Andy Ditchfield Chef de Partie, House of Commons
- Mark Hill Executive Chef, House of Commons
Cold Kitchen
- Nick Vadis Executive Chef, Compass UK and Ireland
- Mark Hill Executive Chef, The House of Commons
- Matt Owens
- Ben Ford Compass UK
- Steve Jones Compass
- Sarah Harnett Pastry Chef, Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, London
(Teams are subject to change)
The team will be in Luxembourg between the 18th and 23rd November. The cold buffet team will use the Hilton Hotel Luxembourg as their preparation base.
The hot food team have six hours, without any prior mis en place, to serve 105 covers restaurant style each day. Six teams will compete in the hot kitchen.
The winning team will be the team with the highest collective score from both the cold and hot kitchens.
The Buffet Criteria
1x Cold platter with four different finger foods or tapas for six: two different kinds served cold and two different kinds prepared hot served cold
There is a total of 100 points up for grabs
- Presentation/innovation 0-25
- Composition 0-25
- Correct Professional presentation 0-25
- Arrangement/Practical Skills 0-25
Hot Food
1x vegetarian menu of the day for one person consisting of three courses to include a dessert
1x menu gastronomique for one person consisting of five courses including one dessert prepared and displayed as an individual
Judgement Criteria 100 points
- Presentation/innovation 0-25
- Composition 0-25
- Correct Professional preparation 0-25
- Arrangement/practical 0-25
The first run through having taken place at The Elephant Restaurant on Sunday 26th September catering for fifty covers.
A second run through will take place at the Restaurant Show on Tuesday 12th October with the Elephant Pop Up restaurant, where the hot team will cater for 100 covers.
The third and final run through will take place at the Celtic Manor hotel in Newport on Thursday 11th November catering for 140 covers banquet style.
The Menu
- Fillet of Atlantic Halibut with a royale of langoustine ,
celeriac turnovers and sauce nantua
- Thyme roasted Exmoor venison with a braised bon bon
of venison , wood smoked parsnips, confit
cabbage and buttered fondant potato
- Lemon curd with spiced cinnamon financier
- lime meringue , blackberry ice cream and pistachio cream.
The kitchen set up was highly organised, everyone working to a six hour mis en place time, with time remaining calls given out every half an hour. Simon had set the team in pairs so two chefs for each course. The team would combine tables when serving so that a four would be added to a two, to make six and then served, firstly starters and then slowly on to mains, Simon and the team, would plate a row of starters then switch to a row of main course, so always only serving one course on the hotplate, as they know in Luxembourg their space will be limited, so the more realistic they can make the run throughs the better it serves the teams preparation.
The food, as you would expect, from competition supremeo Mr Hulstone was very good, full of flavor, great textures, and very importantly at the right temperature, from a customer's point of view, the service worked very well. I couldn't sense that anyone either waited for their food or felt that they were on a conveyor belt, but their food arrived hot, looking and tasting great.
