WIRRAL YOUNG CHEF OF THE YEAR: All our finalists revealed as we begin search for the borough’s best young chef

Oct 3 2012 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

WITH just six days to go before our search for Wirral’s Young Chef of the Year begins, we can now reveal all of our finalists for 2012.

Adam Bowers, from the Portrait House in Hoylake, will kick off the competition next Tuesday, October 9.

The remaining chefs battling it out for your votes over the next six months are, in no particular order:

JAMES PHYTHIAN, Hillbark Grill at Hillbark Hotel & Spa

GAVIN SCOTT, Peninsula Dining Room, New Brighton

GREGG LOCKWOOD, The Riverhill Hotel, Oxton

CHRIS SCOTT, Frankie’s Bar & Grill, Hoylake

ALEX RICKARDS, The Wro Lounge, West Kirby

You’ll have to the Wirral News to find out when each chef is taking part but all five, like Adam, will host a Wirral Young Chef of the Year night at their restaurant, preparing a three-course meal using local/regional and seasonal ingredients.

Don’t forget we’re looking for the borough’s best YOUNG chef this time around so all of our finalists are aged between 18 and 25.

As with Adam’s night, Wirral News readers will be invited to attend and score the chefs.

Your votes will represent 50% of the final score, with the rest of the marks coming from a cook-off between the chefs at Wirral Met College early next year.

The chef with the overall highest score will be crowned Wirral Young Chef of the Year at the Wirral Tourism Awards.

Adam, head chef at the Portrait House, will be hoping to get a head start on his rivals next week with a sophisticated menu starting with scallops, samphire and pancetta.

His main is pan-fried Gressingham duck breast, ballotine of pork and wild duck pate wrapped in Parma ham, oven-roasted beetroot and shallots on a bed of pan- fried chicory and savoy cabbage.

The course is finished with damson and plum jelly and red wine jus.

His dessert will be a trio of mini sweets: mini white chocolate and raspberry tart; Hennessey X.O and dark chocolate tiffin and a milk chocolate and hazelnut brownie served with blackberry compote and vanilla pod ice cream.

To book for Wirral Young Chef of the Year at the Portrait House, call 632 4444. The restaurant will also be serving Adam’s competition menu the following night.

The cost of the three-course meal is £18.95.

WIRRAL Young Chef of the Year is kindly supported by Wirral Council, Liverpool Community College and Wirral Met College.