Bid to find top young seafood chef

THE search to find Britain’s best young seafood chef for 2019 has begun. The annual competition, now in its 17th year, encourages chefs to cook with seafood and always attracts a high calibre of student.
The competition is sponsored by Seafish, the public body that supports the £10 billion UK seafood industry, and run by the Grimsby Institute.
The young chefs, all under the age of 25, will be competing in one of three regional heats, to be held at City College, Norwich (May 10), Sunderland College (May 17), and Coleg Llandrillo Cymru, North Wales (May 24).
They will work in teams of two to produce a three course seafood menu using sustainably sourced seafood.
The 2018 competition winners, Jamie Cracknell and Sagar Massey from West College Scotland, said they were ‘overwhelmed’ by their win.
They added: ‘We weren’t expecting it at all. We had a really good insight from lecturers over the year, who really helped us on to the right path.
‘The competition is a great way to progress your career, and opens your eyes to innovative ways of cooking seafood.’
Each team will be judged by a panel of professionals, including a regional chef. The judging will be headed by Ben Bartlett, Master Craft Guild of Chefs, BBQ champ and Seafish chef ambassador.
Nine teams will go through to the grand final at the Grimsby Institute on Friday, June 7, where they will cook a three course seafood menu, while being judged.
Paul Robinson, hospitality curriculum manager at the Grimsby Institute, said: ‘The experience of this competition will give the young chefs a chance to develop new skills. It’s invaluable and will help with their future careers in the catering industry.’
Picture: Last year\’s winners Jamie Cracknell and Sagar Massey (photo: West College Scotland)