A young chef from Bolton has reached the semi-final of the coveted Roux Scholarship contest, which brings together some of the best emerging chefs in the whole of the UK.
26-year-old Adam Pitfield will be up against 15 other hopefuls at the semi-finals, which will be held in Birmingham next week, and where his work will be judged by iconic chefs including Alain Roux and Angela Harnett.
Should he win the contest, among the top prizes will be a three month placement - or ‘stage’, as it’s called in the cooking business - at any three Michelin Star restaurant in the world.
“Obviously on the day there will be nerves, but it’s been quite exciting so far,” he told the M.E.N.
“I’ve really enjoyed the whole process, and I’m now quite excited now to cook it for someone else and get their opinion on it.”
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Adam had to devise a detailed recipe using dover sole as his main ingredient, combined with brown shrimps and a style of pasta of their choice, along with costings for the recipe too.
His involved blitzing some of the sole into a mousseline, stuffed with some of the shrimps and tarragon, roasted and pickled cauliflower, and then combined with a tagliatelle pasta and a beurre blanc sauce.
He will have to cook the dish in the semi-finals, where it will then be judged - and if he wins he’ll be down to a final six chefs going for the grand prize.
As well as constructing the dish which they submitted, and do so under contest conditions, they’ll also be given a ‘mystery box’, from which they’ll be expected to devise and cook a new dessert from scratch.
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Adam began his cooking career after winning a place on a two-year apprenticeship scheme with chef Michael Caines at his restaurant in the ABode hotel in Manchester.
He then went on to work at the iconic Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, the two star Michelin restaurant run by Raymond Blanc, where he spent another two years.
He then went to work at The Samling Hotel in the Lake District, before going on to his current role as chef de partie at the Driftwood Hotel in Cornwall, which has three AA rosettes.
If he wins, he’s aiming to do his stage in Japan.
The scholarship launched in 1983, and is chaired by Michel Roux Jr, with Brian Turner as vice chairman, and a judging panel including Clare Smyth, Sat Bains, Rachel Humphrey and James Martin.
The first ever winner was the late chef Andrew Fairlie, who ran the eponymous Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, the only restaurant in Scotland to hold two Michelin stars.
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