Now in its 29th year, The Roux Scholarship 2012 has become one of most prestigious and challenging competitions in the culinary world.

It is therefore a challenge in itself to write something new or at least write something that has not been mentioned elsewhere. It’s a competition that serious chefs want to be part of, a competition whose previous winners are the ‘who’s who’ of the culinary world. Past winners become part of the Roux family of chefs, a community and testament to the Roux family and its legacy.

So let’s focus on this year and what makes this the competition that it is.

The 18 competitors go head to head in two separate locations. 12 in Ealing college judged by Steve Love, Andrew Fairlie, David Nichols, Michel Roux Junior and James Martin.   Here in Birmingham at the excellent UCB, 6 competitors are judged by Brian Turner CBE and former Roux Scholar Sat Bains from Restaurant Sat Bains who stood in at the 11 hour for Alain Roux who due to family circumstances was unable to attend.  

The Birmingham candidates are:

• Robert Hutchins, Rudding Park Hotel, Harrogate

• Oliver Farrar, The Arch, London

• Jin Wing, The Plough, Coton, Cambridge

• Vladimir Hromek, University Centre Restaurant Riverside Restaurant, Cambridge

• Christopher Rawlinson, The Red Cat Restaurant, Chorley

• Edward Attwell, Loves Restaurant, Birmingham

Each contest is tasked with re-producing the written submitted menus plus they are presented with a mystery basket of ingredients which were

• 150g Castor Sugar

• 300ml milk

• 6 eggs

• 100 gr flour

• 200ml double cream

• 2 pink grapefruit

• 2 leaves of gelatine

• 3 medium size bananas

• 100g flaked almonds

• 100 gr butter  

Contestants can remove one item, but must use at least 50% of all the other ingredients in the basket, each contestant has 30 minutes to create a recipe which they submit to the judges and they have two and half hours to serve. The dessert course is worth 20% of the total marks. This of course shows an element of flair, planning and creativity by the chefs in addition to their main course dish which contained spring Chicken and Veal heart sweetbreads.

The main course formed part of the written selection process to qualify for the semi finals. Credit has to given to every chef that takes part in any competition and this is no exception. Finding the time to practice is always a challenge whilst holding down a full time job, the nerves, the adaption to new surroundings, and the surprise element all add to the natural adrenalin, however for those that succeed that is what makes success so much sweeter.  

This year’s semi final winners who will all compete in the London finals at Westminster Kingsway college on Monday 2nd April are;

• Adam Smith

• Pramod Ghadge

• Arbinder Dugal

• Quinton Bennett

• Edward Attwell

• Robert Hutchins

To the winners and all 18 chefs that took part, congratulations!

>>> Read more about the Roux Scholarship here