Who will be crowned Wirral Chefs Shine winner?

Nov 5 2008 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

SIX months of fierce kitchen competition have come to an end and we’re ready to announce the winner of Wirral Chefs Shine 2008!

One of our finalists - Colin Parry, Dave Williams, Jonathan Burgess, Robert Bryson, Emma Wombwell and Andy Boyd - will be crowned Wirral Chef of the Year at the Wirral Tourism Awards for Excellence at Thornton Hall Hotel tomorrow night (Thursday).

The winner will follow in the footsteps of Colin Parry from La Paz, last year’s champion and a finalist again in 2008.

And the decision was all yours - we asked readers to attend a Wirral Chefs Shine night at each of the shortlisted restaurants and score the meal at the end of the night.

If you didn’t make it to all six here’s a reminder of each chef and their menu:

COLIN PARRY (May) - It’s a family affair for Colin, who runs his La Paz restaurant in West Kirby with his brothers Kevin and Phil, parents Julie and Michael, and wife Amy.

He served up shrimp and smoked salmon followed by a stuffed saddle of lamb with spring cabbage, garlic and glazed carrots. Dessert was a baked apple, rhubarb and elderflower Alaska.

Colin said: “Although we won in 2007 I didn’t think we were good enough last time and this year we’re definitely better.

“I’m quite a competitive person and it would be good to win a second time!”

JONATHAN BURGESS (June) - A weekend job at the Riverhill Hotel, Oxton, set Jonathan Burgess on his way to his current role as chef de partie at Thornton Hall Hotel.

The chef de partie from West Kirby chose to serve salmon balltontine followed by treacle-glazed rib and poached fillet of Cheshire beef, ending with dark chocolate and redcurrant delice.

He said: “For me the best part of the job is the buzz on a Saturday night when you’re working hard, in the middle of your service and you see the food coming out.

“It’s a job you’ve got to have a passion for - you can’t do it without.”

DAVE WILLIAMS (July) - In just five years talented Dave, from Newton, has gone from washing dishes to head chef at Hoylake’s The Portrait House.

His menu was lightly spiced cauliflower & sun-blush tomato tempura fritters, honey-glazed Gressingham duck breast and vanilla & mascarpone torte with an amoretti biscuit and chocolate base.

He said: “I’ve never done a competition before so I thought I’d give it a go as it’s something new!

“It’s a good place to work and I want to stay with the restaurant for the next few years and see it grow.”

ROBERT BRYSON (August) - Robert’s career flourished when, a few months after joining Sheldrakes in Lower Heswall, he had to take control of the kitchen over the busy Christmas period.

The 22-year-old from New Brighton chose a pressing of broccoli and lobster as a starter, and a main course of chicken with sweetcorn and asparagus risotto, ending with tart tatin of greengages with vanilla ice cream.

He said: “I really love being a chef and I enjoy it most when I get to be creative. I like to play around with flavours and different ingredients until I create something really special.”

EMMA WOMBWELL (September) - Emma has come full circle - from waitress at the Wheatsheaf Inn to its award-winning head chef!

She grew up in Neston and started her career in Plymouth, where she spent two years at catering college.

Diners at the Wheatsheaf’s Cowshed restaurant enjoyed a beetroot and smoked eel salad, Mallard breast with a Neston damson sauce and toffee apple custard slice with a Cheshire cider sorbet.

She said: “I’ve always loved food and I’ve been spoiled a bit by my dad, he’s a big foodie and I’ve been taught to appreciate good produce.

“I think you should test people a bit and get them to try new things.”

ANDY BOYD (October) - The last Wirral Chefs Shine finalist in 2008, Andy has spent most of his career at the Village Hotel in Bromborough after starting as an apprentice at the age of 16.

He served up chicken liver parfait, pan-fried rump of lamb served on top of garlic potato, celeriac mash and butternut squash, followed by lemon tart with mango and fig puree.

Andy said: “I enjoy the buzz of a full restaurant and knowing you’re doing over 100 covers.

“You’re constantly on the go - I couldn’t do a 9-5 job and sit down all day!”

l Wirral Chefs Shine 2008 is supported by Wirral Council, organisers of the Wirral Tourism Awards for Excellence, The Mersey Partnership, Liverpool Community College and Wirral Met College.