Emily Greenough, 22, wins the Chef Stagiaire Award

By Georgia Dudman

In an exciting final round, young chef Emily Greenough wins the prestigious Chef Stagiaire Award at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, an award-winning restaurant in London.

A high-status competition, Chef Stagiaire focusses on ability, attitude and cooking skills of young chefs across the UK. It aims to give under 24s the chance to stage with world class restaurants. This June, Emily went head to head with Craig Johnston, a promising young chef. Head chef at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Ashley Palmer-Watts judged their expertise.

Ashley commented: “It was incredibly close between the two of them and it was very hard to choose the winner, but Emily just had the edge over Craig.”

In rounds leading up to the final, Emily’s strong abilities and enthusiasm were already evident when she staged with head chef Tom Duffill at Arbutus restaurant in London.

Overjoyed about her recent win, Emily commented: “I'm still waiting for it to sink in! There are no words to describe how happy I am.

“Going to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal was a real treat! It's an amazing kitchen, with an amazing team. And the food is out of this world!”

Tim Blake, Director of the Chef Stagiaire Award, thanked all competitors and host kitchens, and went on to express: "It was a very close final and both competitors should feel very proud of what they have achieved.

"I'm sure they both have very bright futures ahead of them, the level of talent throughout the competition has been extremely high and Emily has shown she has the ability to succeed at the highest level. She is definitely one to watch in the future!”

Emily has won a once in a lifetime opportunity to stage on an international scale. She will be travelling to San Francisco to work at the twice Michelin starred Atelier Crenn with renown chef Dominique Crenn, before flying out to Oman to work with the acclaimed team of chefs at Six Senses, a luxurious resort.