FOUR talented young chefs went head to head in the Christchurch Food Festival’s hotly-fought competition.

The event’s Professional Young Chef of the Year competition took place at Bournemouth and Poole College last week.

Pitted against each other in the battle of the kitchen were Ryan Carpenter from The Captain’s Club Hotel, Harry Fry from Splinters restaurant, Jimmy Pang from the Nelson Tavern, and Jordan Garland-Wood from the Crooked Beam restaurant.

After completing a basic skills test, the young chefs then had to prepare their signature dishes during the cook-off.

Each contestant had one hour to present their main course with an extra 15mins to present their dessert.

The judges – David Boland from Bournemouth and Poole College, Colin Nash from The Three Tuns and Karl Wiggins from Gordleton Mill – had a difficult job deciding the winner.

But Jimmy Pang's main course of Dorset lamb rack served with garlic watercress mash, fried oysters and a red wine blackberry jus and dessert of strawberry soufflé with clotted cream won him the title.

Martin Preston from sponsors Chef's Mate said: "We were really impressed by the standard of cooking and seeing what they would do with our ingredients.”

Jimmy was presented with a set of knives by Martin Preston.

 

Runners-up

Ryan Carpenter, Captain’s Club – pan roasted fillet of New Forest barramundi with wild mushrooms and crayfish ravioli followed by tonka bean panna cotta.
Harry Fry, Splinters – roasted rump of Wessex lamb with pea and mint puree and sweet potato mash followed by white and dark chocolate mousse with triple chocolate cookie.
Jordan Garland-Wood – Western Farm tenderloin of pork, curly kale and Dorset cider jus followed by ginger cheesecake.