Bocuse d’Or | UK Team 2016

The cook-off that will decide who will be the next UK Bocuse d’Or candidate will take place on Friday 11 September at Le Cordon Bleu Cookery School in Bloomsbury Square, London.

Previous UK candidates have included Adam Bennett from The Cross Kenilworth, Simon Hulstone from The Elephant in Torquay and Andre Garrett from Cliveden House Hotel. Candidates in the competition will include Anthony Wright, chef lecturer, University College Birmingham, Christian Grebenstein from The Ritz London and Steve Love, chef consultant and former executive chef of Love’s Restaurant. Each chef will have an hour and a half to prepare, cook and present three different hot garnishes, five portions of each, fifteen pieces in total, suitable for accompanying a fillet of British beef from sponsor Aubrey Allen. The chefs will be judged on the techniques used and the presentation, which should be in the style of the Bocuse d’Or.

>>> Related: UK come 10th in Bocuse d’Or

Team UK President and chair of the National Selection judges Brian Turner CBE said: “To represent ones’ country in the world’s most prestigious cooking contest is among the greatest challenges to be undertaken by any chef. “We have a promising line-up of candidates in this year’s cook off and with the right preparation there is nothing to stop any of them from representing the UK one day. No one should under estimate how much thought, time and practice is required to compete successfully and the cook off is just the start of what will be a tough but hugely rewarding journey for the successful chef.”

The winner of the Bocuse d’Or UK National Selection will be announced at a Champagne reception sponsored by Moet & Chandon at 6pm at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School. The winner will then compete in the European heats which take place in Budapest from 11 - 12 May 2016.

>>> Read: Steve Love, Loves Restaurant, Birmingham

Hosts and prestigious culinary school Le Cordon Bleu offers the perfect space for the UK National Selection. With 120 years’ experience and state-of-the-art facilities the school is world renowned for offering the finest education in culinary arts, gastronomy and hospitality. Loic Malfait, Academic Director at Le Cordon Bleu London said: “This will be a fantastic opportunity to have so many great chefs under our roof. We are known for teaching classic and modern techniques and using the best ingredients when teaching our students, so I’m interested to see what challenges lay ahead of these chefs.” Watch Steve Love cook a venison dish:

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