A young St. Andrews chef has been crowned as the Scotch Beef Scottish Young Chef of the Year in a national competition run by Scottish Chefs.
Joe Reddie from St. Andrews Links Trust faced stiff competition when he battled it out against five top young chefs in the final cook-off held recently at ScotHot, Scotland’s largest food, drink, hospitality and tourism show.
The competition saw each of the talented young chefs produce a three-course meal of their choice plus one amuse bouche for four covers.
These were judged by an experienced, expert panel who marked to strict criteria – including plate presentation, seasonality, provenance, quality and balance of flavours.
Chef Reddie impressed the judging panel by serving up Jerusalem artichoke soup, curry oil and crispy artichoke for the amuse bouche; fillet of halibut, seaweed butter, langoustine tart and broccoli for the starter; loin of Scotch Lamb PGI, carrot and apricot puree and spiced onion sauce for the main; and chocolate mousse, sea buckthorn, sponge and creme fraiche for the dessert.
‘Delighted’
Chef Reddie said he was “delighted” to clinch the title.
“I was up against some really stiff competition and I couldn’t have done it without the support from everyone who was cheering me on at ScotHot and from my colleagues at St. Andrews Links Trust,” he said.
Claire Higgs, PR and communications manager at Quality Meat Scotland, said: “It’s fantastic to see some of Scotland’s up-and-coming young chefs getting excited about using top-quality local produce such as Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb.
“Chef Reddie’s dishes were truly spectacular and they certainly tantalised the taste buds of the renowned judging panel. Many congratulations to him.”
As the winner, Chef Reddie will learn from one of the UK’s most experienced, talented and renowned chefs, Chef Cyrus Todiwala.
He will spend two days working with the team at Cyrus’ top London restaurant – Cafe Spice Namaste whilst being staying in a central London hotel.
He will also receive a £100 voucher to spend in a Scotch Beef Club restaurant of his choice.
