March 8 2024
After the exciting regional finals in London and Birmingham, the Roux family is delighted to announce the names of the six chefs who will compete for the title of Roux Scholar 2024 on 8th April 2024 at the Alain Roux Culinary School at The Waterside Inn. All six of the finalists are new to the competition.
The 2024 mystery box
For this year’s mystery box dessert challenge finalists were tasked with making a dessert with as many or as few ingredients from the 20 items as they liked. They were guided towards demonstrating their skills with crêpes. We appreciate the excellent ingredients supplied by some of our sponsors, including Elle & Vire Professionnel butter and cream, St Ewe eggs, The Macallan Whisky and Showerings Cider, along with a selection of goods from Wellocks.
The challenge
The challenge was to cook the recipe that the chefs submitted with their applications, using one short loin of free-range gilt pork, two fresh pork kidneys, and sweet potatoes. The recipes were blind-judged on 21st February by our judging panel. They had two and half a half hours’ cooking time for the dish, alongside a dessert to serve four people, made from a mystery box of ingredients given on the day.
In London: Alain Roux, Brian Turner CBE, Rachel Humphrey, André Garrett MCA (Roux Scholar 2002), Clare Smyth MBE, Adam Smith MCA (Roux Scholar 2012).
André Garrett MCA said: “It was a good and interesting day, it took us a while to finish that judging – it was one of the strongest discussion we’ve had in a good few years. It was tough for some of them, but it was good to see their interpretation of their ingredients and the brief. But to throw that crepe in there, it tripped a lot of them up a little bit. You really have to keep your eye on crepes and you have to bring in some flavour and interest.”
Alain Roux said: “Today was a very exciting day, we’ve got some great talent for the final and here in London we chose the best three, they deserve to go through. Seeing how the chefs work, their preparation, their skills, seeing their plating is all important, but for me, the most important thing is the tasting. And the three who are going to the final nailed it.”
Adam Smith MCA said: “It was great to be on the other side of it, obviously I’ve not judged before, and it was great to see the diversity of the cuisine which is a reflection of the industry. It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”
Judges
In Birmingham: Michel Roux Jr, Angela Hartnett OBE, Sat Bains (Roux Scholar 1999), Simon Hulstone (Roux Scholar 2003).
Michel Roux Jr: “That was an extraordinary cook-off with six very talented chefs. I think all the chefs managed the brief really well, and the use of the sweet potato and the kidneys was perfect. We had spicy, we had braised, we deep fried, we had a ragu – I thought it was all really clever. We have an incredible line-up for the 40th anniversary final. It’s going to be epic!”
Sat Bains said: “I think there was some nervous energy in there. And the curveball was the mystery box, it can be quite daunting, but we saw some great crêpes soufflés, some ice creams – they’ve been quite creative.”
Honorary President of Judges: Acclaimed American chef Thomas Keller will lead the judging panel for the national final on 8th April 2024. Chef Keller, one of America’s most inventive and celebrated chefs, is renowned for his refined yet simple classic French cuisine and commitment to excellence that has inspired chefs throughout the world. He is the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the prestigious Michelin Guide, at his landmark restaurants The French Laundry and Per Se. He holds many more awards and accolades.
National final – Monday 8th April 2024.
In the final, the six finalists will compete for the title of Roux Scholar 2024, our 40th winner, which will take place at the Alain Roux Culinary School at The Waterside Inn. For the national final, the recipe details will be a complete surprise; 45 minutes before the start of the competition the finalists will be given the ingredients for a main dish, either classic or modern, and given up to three hours to prepare and present it to the judges.
Award Dinner
The 2024 Roux Scholar will be announced at a prestigious award dinner at Coworth Park, Berkshire, the same evening. The exclusive event will be attended by sponsors, judges and the finalists. The winner will receive up to £12,000, a two-month stage at a three-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world, or the option of a bespoke training programme tailored to their interests and skills gaps.