Roux Scholarship

After the exciting regional finals in London and Birmingham, the Roux family have announced the names of the six chefs who will compete for the title of Roux Scholar 2023 on 3rd April 2023. They are as below left to right: Ben Champkin, The Newt, Somerset Christopher Clarke, Core by Clare Smyth, London Oliver Dovey, Baxterstorey, London Sam Lomas, Glebe House, Devon April Lily Partridge, The Ledbury, London Alex Rothnie, L’Enclume, Cumbria Judging at the University of West London, Michel Roux Jr: “It’s always very challenging and gut-wrenching for some, but even those who didn’t get through have left with a big smile on their faces and they can be very proud of what they achieved. In terms of the food, there was some fantastic choux pastry in the desserts. I think giving our finalists more ingredients in the mystery box has actually worked, in so far as we’ve had some fantastic desserts here today.” Judging in London, Clare Smyth said: “It is great to see such a strong group of young chefs back fighting for the scholarship. I loved the new mystery box as it gave more freedom for creativity.” Judging in at University College Birmingham, Alain Roux said: “It was a really good mystery box and most finalists had a similar idea of serving a filled choux, with good flavours. Some were very simple with the use of chantilly. Personally, I was expecting something a bit more exciting, but we had two outstanding desserts.” Judging in at University College Birmingham, James Martin: “There have been highlights today, which were the ones who had obviously practiced their main dish, because they mastered that and got it right, so we have two very strong main courses out of it. I think the dessert is always something that they stumble on, but I think changing the way we use the mystery box has certainly helped them focus their attention a lot better.” The cooking challenge The challenge was to cook the recipe they submitted with their application which was blind-judged on 22nd February by our judging panel. At the regional finals at University College Birmingham and the University of West London, the 18 regional finalists cooked their recipes that included: A striploin of dry-aged Heritage beef (without bones), one beef offal (either heart, tongue, or kidney); together plated with two simple or composed garnishes/accompaniments, one of which had to include chicory (Belgian endive) and the other could be a garnish/accompaniment of the contestant’s choice. A sauce had to accompany the dish. 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. The total cost of the complete dish could not exceed £22.00 per portion. The 2023 mystery box This year’s mystery box dessert challenge was different to previous competitions: the finalists were tasked with making a dessert with as many or as few ingredients from the 22 items as they liked. They were guided towards demonstrating their skills with choux pastry with excellent ingredients supplied that including Elle & Vire butter and cream, St Ewe eggs and a selection of goods from Wellocks. Ben Champkin: “It’s great to keep coming back and be challenged. And this year’s mystery basket threw me a bit. I made a Paris-Brest with strawberries and crème diplomat. I’m looking forward to the final because I feel like it might allow me to just cook how I cook rather than to a recipe, which is where I struggle as I’m not overly classically trained.”  Oliver Dovey: “I still can’t believe it. It’s taken four years of trying, and there are a few things I could have done better but I’m still pleased with how it went. With the mystery box, you get given so many ingredients that your head goes in a spin but the best thing you can do is cross off a lot of things you’re not going to use and it narrows it down and makes it a lot easier.”  Sam Lomas: “I’m really blown away to have got through. The competition was incredibly fierce and there was some amazing talent in the room. But I’m glad I managed to hold my nerve and get through. The mystery box challenge played in my favour, I was nervous about very traditionally classic stuff but choux is something I’m very familiar with and just kept it as simple as possible and did a choux pastry with a craquelin on the outside and some crème diplomat and some strawberries.” April Lily Partridge: “I’m gob smacked to be honest. I never had the confidence to enter this competition and I was really chuffed to get through to the regionals and I never thought I’d get to the final. When I saw that choux pastry had come up, I thought ‘I’ve never made choux pastry before in my life’, and so it was really tough. I’m so chuffed.” Christopher Clarke: “It was really hard to be honest, I’ve never done anything like it before, so I was surprised by how quick the time went; in fact, I even asked if the clock was wrong! All the other chefs were to such a high standard. It’s my last chance, so I’m really happy to have got through to the final.” Alex Rothnie: “That was the fastest two and a half hours I have ever experienced, particularly the last half an hour which was stressful but I’m very happy with the results. I was under a lot of pressure because I work with Tom Barnes, a former winner, and he said many times ‘You’ll get through to the final,’ so he will be very happy.” As well as a Global G-106 Kiritsuke Knife courtesy of ourselves along with a MS-472 whetstone each competitor received the following gifts from the Roux Scholarship sponsors with a commemorative certificate signed by all the judges: A commemorative certificate, signed by the judges. A cutting lyre for soft cheese courtesy of Elle & Vire Professionnel. A Moka pot and coffee from L’Unico (Caffé Musetti).   A TRUEfoods chef stone notebook. A copy of Wellocks’ cookbook with recipes from top chefs. National final – Monday 3rd April 2023. The six finalists will compete for the title of Roux Scholar 2023 in the final, which takes place at Westminster Kingsway College, London. This time the recipe details will be a complete surprise; 30 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 2023 Roux Scholar will be announced at a prestigious award dinner at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, 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. In addition, there are a number of superb prizes from our sponsors.

April Lily Partridge has won The Roux Scholarship 2023. The 29-year-old sous chef from The Ledbury, beat five other finalists in a highly challenging final cook-off held at Westminster Kingsway College, London, on Monday 3rd April 2023. It was the first time April had entered The Roux Scholarship and it was her last chance to do so before reaching the age limit. She said on winning: “I’m gobsmacked, this will change my life!” before going on to thank her family and friends including winner 2020/21 Oli Williamson who encouraged her to enter and her chef Brett Graham. “Thank you, Brett, for making me feel like I can achieve anything,” she said. 2023 Roux Scholarship Winner April Lily Partridge For this year’s final, the six chefs were asked to prepare their own dish using a variety of ingredients, along the theme of Pâté Chaud de Lotte (hot monkfish pie) – a recipe originally created by the Troisgros family. At the start of the competition, the chefs were shown a table displaying dozens of ingredients that would allow them to interpret the brief as they chose. The only ingredients they were obliged to use were the monkfish and whole black truffle. April said: “It was really tough, a tough brief. Monkfish is tricky, it’s very easy to overcook. Once I got into the kitchen I began to question my reasoning and interpretation of what was required in the brief. I began to change what I had planned and for the first hour I was still working out what to do. I wasn’t 100% happy but we are all hard taskmasters on ourselves!”  Lily during the final competition with Michel Roux Jr Michel Roux Jr said: “It was an exceptional final. I thought we were in for a good final and so it proved. We had six finalists, six styles and six very different dishes. The new format allowed the chefs to truly show off their skills and character on a plate. Given a wider choice of ingredients they all rose to the challenge and our guest judges said they’ll be taking some of the ideas back home with them to France.” Alain Roux said: “It was a tremendous challenge, they had to do it all in their own vision as they wouldn’t have come across the dish before, so it was new to them all. Textures were so important in this competition and some of the six put a lot of work into it using a very large number of the ingredients. It was amazing.” The judging panel was led by joint Honorary Presidents of Judges, Michel Troisgros and his son César, whose restaurant at Troisgros in the Roannais region of south-east France has held three Michelin stars longer than any other restaurant in the world. They led the panel alongside joint chairmen Alain and Michel Jr, who were joined by Brian Turner CBE, Angela Hartnett OBE, Rachel Humphrey, Sat Bains (1999 scholar), André Garrett (2002 Scholar), Simon Hulstone (2003 scholar). Michel Troisgros said: “It’s hard for the candidates. It’s hard for them to manage the time and not to know what the ingredients are until the last moment. It is a classic Troisgros dish but it’s a new interpretation of it. It was great to see new perspectives and creations. You have to work quickly too, and in a kitchen you are not used to, so we saw six very different styles and six very different dishes.”  The winning dish by April César Troisgros said: “The experience was great. It was great to take a step back and see what they could do and how they handled the subject. Everyone had a different version of the dish and the skills of working varied, and made them think differently.”  April was battling it out against the following chefs: Ben Champkin from The Newt in Somerset, Christopher Clarke from Core by Clare Smyth in London, Oliver Dovey from Baxterstorey in London, Sam Lomas from Glebe House in Devon, and Alex Rothnie from L’Enclume in Cumbria. April was announced winner at an exclusive awards dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in front of a small audience comprising the finalists’ guests, sponsors and judges, with the ceremony live-streamed via the Roux Scholarship website and YouTube channel. Michel Roux Jr & Alain Roux with this years winner April Lily Partridge As this years winner April will receive £6,000, with an additional £6,000 awarded if she stays with her current employer for 15 additional months. April also has the choice between two star prizes: the invitation to cook and train under the supervision of a leading chef at a prestigious three-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world for up to two months; or a bespoke training programme tailored to the chef’s ambitions, skills gaps and interests. This is in addition to an impressive list of prizes and culinary experiences provided courtesy of Global Knives UK and the other sponsors.

The Roux Family is delighted to announce that acclaimed French chefs Michel Troisgros and his son César will lead the panel of judges for the Roux Scholarship final 2023 as joint Honorary Presidents of Judges. The Troisgros family is one of the most renowned culinary dynasties in the world, having held three Michelin stars at their restaurant, La Maison Troisgros, longer than any other restaurant in France. The Troisgros restaurant is set in the stunning Roannais area of France, west of Lyon and is now in the village of Ouches, having relocated in 2017 from its original site (now their bistro Le Central) in Roanne. La Maison Troisgros was first established there in 1930 by Jean-Baptiste and Marie Troisgros, whose sons Pierre and Jean Troisgros continued and built on its success and were awarded three Michelin stars in 1968. Now, Pierre’s son Michel, alongside his sons César and Léo, continue the restaurant’s success with the support of the wider family. Michel Troisgros Michel Troisgros said: “Albert and Michel Roux were born in Saône-et-Loire, a stone’s throw from Roanne where Jean and Pierre – known as the Troisgros Brothers – were based. All four were from the same generation, who grew up in the post-war period and became iconic chefs in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. They had many things in common: their countries of origin, sharing the work between brothers, the wave of new cuisine, and the heirs who would continue their work. Between our two families there has always been a bond of friendship and today we extend the friendship we inherited from our fathers.”   César Troisgros Alain Roux said: “The Troisgros family is synonymous with fine dining in France. Their unpretentious approach, respect for tradition and boundless creativity has always inspired me. How they have adapted and changed with the times, as their business has passed down through the generations, is an exceptional feat. To have Michel and his son César with us as Honorary Judges this year is a great privilege and a treat for both judges and competitors. Like the Roux family, they know the importance of preserving and handing on their knowledge. To share and to learn from them is a dream come true for all of us.” Michel Roux Jr said: “I am over the moon to have the Troisgros dynasty with us for the finals of the Roux Scholarship, not just Michel but also his son César. The first time I had dinner at their restaurant in Roanne was with my father in 1981, I remember being blown away as a young chef by their creativity, lightness of touch and clever use of acidity throughout the menu. They are true legends in the culinary world who love nothing more than to pass on their knowledge. Our finalists will no doubt be inspired by their humble and genuine warmth.” Michel and César Troisgros know the importance of preserving and handing on their knowledge Michel and César Troisgros will lead the panel of judges, alongside Michel Roux Jr and Alain Roux, Brian Turner CBE, Sat Bains (Scholar 1999), André Garrett (Scholar 2002), Simon Hulstone (Scholar 2003), Rachel Humphrey and Angela Hartnett OBE. The final will take place at Westminster Kingsway College and will take a new format this year. Rather than create a classic French recipe, as finalists have done in the past, the six finalists will be asked to prepare a recipe in their own vision with a selection of ingredients. They will be judged on creativity, technical skill and their own individual flair. The six finalists are: Ben Champkin, The Newt, Somerset; Christopher Clarke, Core by Clare Smyth, London; Oliver Dovey, Baxterstorey, London; Sam Lomas, Glebe House, Devon; April Lily Partridge, The Ledbury, London; Alex Rothnie, L’Enclume, Cumbria. Prizes The winner receives the choice between two star prizes: an invitation to cook and train under the supervision of a leading chef at a prestigious three-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world for two months; or a bespoke training programme tailored to the winner’s skills gaps, ambitions and interests. In addition, up to £12,000, to further support their career development and a host of fabulous prizes from our sponsors. Our sponsors The Roux Scholarship is sponsored by Aubrey Allen, Bragard, Bridor, L’Unico Caffe Musetti, Champagne Laurent-Perrier, Elle & Vire Professionnel, Flying Fish Seafoods, Global Knives, Oritain, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, Regent Seven Sea Cruises, Sources Alma, St Ewe Eggs, TRUEfoods, and Udale Speciality Foods Ltd, Urbani Truffles and Wellocks. For more details about our sponsors visit www.rouxscholarship.co.uk Go to www.rouxscholarship.co.uk for more information about the Roux Scholarship competition and details of the long list of prizes, courtesy of our sponsors and preferred partners.  

The 18 regional finalists for the 2023 Roux Scholarship competition have been announced, and with a truly diverse group of talented young chefs qualifying for the next round excitement is building ahead of the two regional finals which will be held simultaneously on Thursday 9th March at University College Birmingham and University of West London, Ealing. As main sponsors of the Roux Scholarship since its inception 40 years ago Global are immensely proud to continue our support the next generation of professional chef talent across the UK. Following a push for more diversity at the launch of this year’s competition, with the Round Table discussion and publication of the White Paper, Women Chefs and The Roux Scholarship, the Roux Family have been delighted to see an increase in applications from female chefs with four qualifying for the regional finals. The 18 chefs, and two reserves, were selected from their written recipes that used striploin of dry-aged beef, a beef offal ingredient and Belgian chicory. They were submitted anonymously to the judges, who took part in the Recipe Judging day at Roux at The Waterside Inn on 22nd February 2023. Competing in the Birmingham Regional Final are… Christopher Clarke, from Core by Clare Smyth, London Ruth Hansom, Swinton Estate, North Yorkshire Max Davies, Aizle, Edinburgh Steven Newton, Coast restaurant, Saundersfoot Alexander Rothnie, L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria Dillon Smyth, Balloo Inns Limited, Comber From left to right: Christopher Clarke, Ruth Hansom, Steven Newton, Alexander Rothnie, Dillon Smyth Competing in the London Regional Final are… Aaron Blais, The Ritz, London Nicole Benham-Corlette, Boathouse 4 Restaurant, Portsmouth Jack Cannell, The Tytherleigh Arms, Axminster Ben Champkin, The Newt, Somerset Harry Donnelly, The RAF Club, London Oliver Dovey, Baxterstorey, London Sam Lomas, Glebe House, Devon Lucila Mattiauda, Seven Park Place by William Drabble, London Yogesh Singh Yadav, The May Fair, London April Lily Partridge, The Ledbury, London Ryan Porter, The Double Red Duke, Cotswolds Subhan Malik, The Beaumonth Hotel, London From left to right: Aaron Blais, Nicole Benham-Corlette, Jack Cannell, Ben Champkin, Harry Donnelly, Oliver Dovey From left to right: Sam Lomas, Lucila Mattiauda, Yogesh Singh Yadav, April Lily Partridge, Ryan Porter, Subhan Malik An impressive standard of talent For the regional final, competitors will have 2½ hrs to cook their dish, along with a dessert from a mystery box of ingredients given to them on the day.  The judges will be looking for recipes and methods, which demonstrate the best balance of creativity, taste, style and practicality in the finished dish. Commenting on this years finalists Michel Roux Jr expressed how: “The standard in general of this year’s entries was superb and it was great to read so many recipes that showed very imaginative ways of using offal.” Alain Roux added: “It’s great to see that our regional finalists come from all over the UK and a variety of different establishments. Regarding the recipes, I’m pleased to see so many chefs choose to cook the ox heart as part of their dishes, I really like that ingredient. In general, there was a really high standard and I can’t wait to taste everything.” Simon Hulstone is pleased to see more diversity in this years competition: “It’s great to see more female competitors in the list, some are ones that I’ve seen come through Future Chef competitions and so to see them now, getting into a competition of this stature, is fantastic. But also, it’s great to see some previous finalists that have come back from over the years to have another go and to see some new names and new establishments getting involved.” James Martin has also been impressed by the standard of recipes: “Speaking with the other judges, it was clear that there were certain recipes that really did stand out for all of us. And that’s great because we don’t know the name, we don’t know where they work. All we get given is a number, and it’s exciting to find out at the end, once they’re all chosen, who they all are.” I’m sure you’ll join us in wishing all the competitors the best of luck. With such a talented roster of young chefs we’re certainly excited to see more at the next stage of the competition. Of course anyone using GLOBAL Knives will have a competitive advantage even if we say so ourselves.

We have sponsored the Roux Scholarship since its inception 40 years so are very are excited to hear the details of The Roux Scholarship 2023, which apparently will see the most dramatic developments to the competition since its launch nearly 40 years ago. These include a new option for the star prize, a new-look final recipe challenge and the publication of a White Paper about women chefs and The Roux Scholarship. Entries opened in November with chefs invited to create recipes using a delicious range of ingredients. New star prize option The winner will have a choice between two star prizes: either a stage up to two months’ duration at any three-star Michelin restaurant in the world, or a bespoke programme of training opportunities tailored to the individual winner’s career goals and gaps in their skill set. If this latter option is chosen, the winner will choose a number of short educational experiences, visits and stays in the UK and abroad to help their individual career development. Examples: learn Japanese knife skills in Tokyo; perfect the art of chocolate-making in France; it can also include business skills or anything that will help their career progress. These learning opportunities can be taken at convenient times in the chef’s work schedule in the year after winning the competition. More information can be found here: https://www.rouxscholarship.co.uk/about-the-competition/prizes/ Jonathan Ferguson 2022 Winner New-look final The Roux Scholarship National Final 2023 will test the six national finalists’ skills in a different way. Rather than preparing a classic French dish inspired by such chefs as Auguste Escoffier and Marie-Antoine Carême, the finalists will be asked to prepare a key ingredient in their own vision. This product will be chosen from the UK’s incredible range of produce and will be served with accompaniments drawn from a set list of other ingredients. The chefs will be expected to draw on their classic French cuisine skill set but judges will be looking for how they bring their own interpretation to the dish. More information can be found here: https://www.rouxscholarship.co.uk/new-look-final-cook-off/ White Paper: women chefs and the Roux Scholarship Following the Round Table discussion held on 13th October with some of Britain’s top female chefs and leaders in the hospitality industry, The Roux Scholarship with the support of the Institute of Hospitality, has produced a White Paper. This details the key points of the discussion, alongside recommendations for the wider hospitality industry and its efforts to engage more female chefs in the competition. It can be viewed via this link: https://www.rouxscholarship.co.uk/womenwhitepaper/ ‎ Recipe challenge 2023 The Roux Scholarship 2023 competition invites chefs to create a recipe for four people using the following ingredients and criteria: A striploin of dry-aged Heritage beef (without bones), weighing between 800g-900g (maximum 1kg joint) cooked and served either whole or in multiple cuts. In addition, use one beef offal (not veal), either heart, tongue, or kidney; together plated with two simple or composed garnishes/accompaniments. One of them must include chicory (Belgian endive) and the other can be a garnish/accompaniment of the contestant’s choice.  One of these can be served separately, if preferred. A sauce must accompany the dish. Entrants have until midnight on Monday 31st January 2022 to submit their recipes via the online application system. For additional rules and stipulations, see  https://www.rouxscholarship.co.uk/recipe-challenge-2023/. Chairman Alain Roux said: “It’s so important to break down barriers in our industry and that is the driver behind our new ideas. The increased versatility and flexibility at every stage of the competition should increase the appeal to young chefs of all genders, backgrounds and ethnicities. We are keen to progress equality at every opportunity and hope our White Paper exploring ways to encourage more women chefs into the industry and to take part in The Roux Scholarship will be a positive stimulus to change.” Chairman Michel Roux said: “I am thrilled to be launching the new-look Roux Scholarship with a new star prize option offering a flexible bespoke educational program. The final cook off itself has also been tweaked to reflect today’s cooking styles whilst keeping classic technique at its heart.” What else is new for 2023? The star prize stage has been reduced to two months rather than three, so that it can be more easily accommodated by the winner’s place of work. As the first step of the application, chefs must register their entry via the website. If they meet the application criteria (eg. age, UK resident, correct qualifications), they will be sent the invitation to complete online the recipe application form. They will also be invited to complete the Equality and Diversity Monitoring form. To compensate for the time lost due to the coronavirus pandemic, the age limit will be 31 for the 2023 competition only. Therefore, if a chef turns 31 on or after the 1st February 2023, they qualify to enter. The Roux Scholarship is delighted to welcome four new sponsors: Bragard UK, Elle & Vire Professionnel, Sources Alma, St Ewe Free Range Eggs. The 2023 competition will be the third time the Mentorship Award is offered as a prize. As well as the £6,000 awarded to the winner for their career development, an additional £6,000 is awarded to them on completion of 15 months’ service with their current employer after they win. Should they take up a new role in that time, the funds will be awarded to the original employer to help in the development of the remaining brigade. The Judges The judging panel will remain the same for the 2023 competition and is as follows: Alain Roux, Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner CBE, Sat Bains (Scholar 1999), André Garrett (Scholar 2002), Simon Hulstone (Scholar 2003), James Martin, Clare Smyth MBE, Rachel Humphrey and Angela Hartnett MBE. The Honorary President of Judges will be announced in due course.  Important dates: 31st January 2023: Deadline for applications. 9th March 2023: Regional finalists compete, each cooking their written recipe plus a mystery basket dessert recipe challenge.  Regional finals take place at University College Birmingham and University of West London. Six national finalists shortlisted. 3rd April 2023: National Final at Westminster Kingsway College, London. Award ceremony at The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. Prizes In addition to the two star prize options, the winner receives up to £12,000, to support their career development as well as a host of fabulous prizes from our sponsors. Our sponsors The Roux Scholarship is sponsored by a number of companies, whose support is vital: Global Knives, Aubrey Allen Ltd, Bragard UK, Bridor (UK) Ltd, Elle & Vire Professionnel, Flying Fish Seafoods, Champagne Laurent-Perrier, L’Unico Caffe Musetti, Oritain, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Sources Alma, St Ewe Free Range Eggs, TRUEfoods Ltd, Udale Speciality Foods Ltd, Urbani Truffles UK Ltd and Wellocks. Their details can be found here: https://www.rouxscholarship.co.uk/sponsors/   Go to www.rouxscholarship.co.uk for more information about the Roux Scholarship competition and details of the long list of prizes, courtesy of our sponsors and preferred partners.