‘Overwhelmed’ – Craig Johnston admits ‘shock’ at historic Roux Scholarship win

Craig Johnston admits he was “shocked” when he was announced as the winner of the Roux Scholarship 2025, adding: “It is overwhelming.”

Craig became the 41st Roux Scholar this week, seeing off competition from five other chefs in the final.

He joins illustrious company on the winners list of the prestigious competition, which began in 1984, alongside the likes of Sat Bains, Mark Birchall and Andrew Fairlie.

It was an historic win for Craig, who became the first chef to win both MasterChef: The Professionals and the Roux Scholarship.

Craig wins an extensive list of prizes for his latest triumph, including £6,000 to spend on career development, the opportunity to stage at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, various equipment, tours and perks.

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WIN CAME AS A SURPRISE

Speaking to The Staff Canteen, Craig said: “I guess the accolade and the prestige of it, the title, Roux Scholar, that has sunk in. The whole future of what's to come with the whole package of the Scholarship, that’s still a bit overwhelming, to be fair.

“It’s going to take a while for it to all become a reality and it to sink in really.

“I've just been thinking the whole way through, from the first paper entry through to regionals and then the final, is just one step at a time.

“I felt going into the regionals I wasn't going to get through, because of seeing all the other contestants that got through to the regionals from various Michelin star backgrounds, working in amazing kitchens.

“And then there's me and obviously I'm trying to juggle the competition with work as well. It’s 'have I got enough time to prepare for this?' So there’s always a bit of doubt in your abilities, but I’ve surprised myself I guess with this as well.”

He added: “I was a bit shocked (to win), in all honesty. I wasn't expecting it.

“I still had in my mind that I’ve got a one in six chance, because I think everyone felt the stress of that challenge. You're all sort of second guessing yourself - have I done enough with the challenge? You all talk to each other after and all stressing thinking that was quite hard.

“So when we’re stood up there on stage, I was still thinking I've got a one in six chance. It was going through my mind as well, if I don’t get it, I’ve still had an amazing day and an amazing journey throughout the competition. Everything was going through my mind at that point.”

'now or never'

Craig used to work under Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, before becoming head chef at Michelin-starred seafood restaurant Angler in October 2024.

This year was the first time he entered the Roux Scholarship, now run by Alain and Michel Roux Jr, which welcomes UK-based chefs aged between 22 and 30.

“It's something I've always looked at doing, but I suppose the timing is always quite difficult,” Craig explained.

“The brief is always released in December and then January is the time to finalise your entry. The last two or three years when I thought ‘okay, I could do this’, I just haven’t had the time to do it.

“This year was the last year I’m allowed to enter. It was now or never, so that’s what gave me the kick to do it this year.

“I didn’t really have any past knowledge of the competition. I don't know anyone personally that has done the Roux Scholarship before, so had no insider information to go off of.

“I was on MasterChef a few years ago, with that being a competition as well I understood the pressure and the timings and how to organise yourself in a way.

“As similar as they are, they are two completely different competitions. The pressure of the Roux final was crazy. You’ve got the 10 judges versus three on MasterChef. The accolades the judges have and the experiences they have and the knowledge is just immense. It was quite tough.”

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tricky brief

In the final, chefs had to plan and create a dish based around Wyndford Wagyu shank, with bone marrow, borlotti beans and Basque-style stuffed potatoes.

Contestants had to impress a judging panel which included the likes of Brian Turner, Angela Hartnett and Adam Smith.

“I was trying to mentally prepare myself for the final, trying to think of every possibility, every challenge that could come up,” Craig said.

“I did a bit of research looking back at past years, what’s been cooked etcetera. I tried to guess what could come up and what I was thinking couldn’t be further from the challenge that was set. That completely threw me off to start off with.

“The 45 minutes that you have to plan your dish, with the shin of beef, that requires such an amount of time to cook it. With that, the pressure is on.

“You are cooking your meat and you’re going to utilise all your stock from braising to make your sauce.  So in a way you put all of your eggs into one basket. Your two key elements of your dish, your sauce and your meat, it’s all in one.

"Literally it’s all about pressure. Pressure cooking, pressure of the competition and you’re releasing the pressure of the pressure cooker, checking if the meat is cooked.

“I tried to keep my dishes as streamlined as possible. Not adding too much to it, but also making sure the components on there were packed full of flavour. Then have enough time to make it look nice and presentable, which was a bit of a rush to get ready for as well.”

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competition king

A lot has changed for Craig since he won MasterChef, back in 2017.

But being the first chef to win both that and the Roux Scholarship is something which fills him with pride.

“It’s definitely something I'm immensely proud of,” Craig said.

“To be the first person to be able to win both is incredible.

“The competitions were at two completely different points in my career and in my life.

“The whole package of the prizes from the Roux Scholarship is very overwhelming. I’ve tried to explain to friends and family that don't understand in-depth knowledge of the competition and try and explain the prizes. So they are like ‘oh what do you win?’ It’s like reading out a list. I'm explaining more and more. They’re like ‘do you want to stop any second?’

“So it is overwhelming. It's something I'm going to have to think very, very carefully about.

“I think my thought process with it will be what skill sets am I lacking? What can I brush up on? What do I still need to learn and obviously go from there and think where in the world could I learn these skills, who could I learn these skills from.”

'evolving as a chef'

Discussing his role at Angler, which is located atop the South Place Hotel, Craig added: “For me, the role is all about me continuing my head chef journey.

“I obviously rose up to head chef in a restaurant environment I was very comfortable with. Being with Marcus for six years in total, so I already knew the environment, I knew the people, I knew the structure, I knew the kitchen and restaurant inside and out. So I was very confident in that role, stepping up to head chef.

“But here it is another challenge in itself. I am on my own, in terms of there's no Marcus above me to support me and guide me where I’ve got doubts and questions.

“This is the next step for me. I'm on my own. I've got an amazing team surrounding me, some of whom worked for me previously at Marcus and were very keen to follow me here.

“My new challenge is evolving as a chef and seeing what my food becomes.”

(Pics: Jodi Hinds)