England claimed the bragging rights in cooking’s equivalent of rugby’s Triple Crown after beating hosts Wales and Scotland to win the Battle for the Dragon contest.
The national culinary team of England emerged victorious after three days of competition at the Welsh International Culinary Championships at Coleg Llandrillo, Rhos-on-Sea.
Just eight points separated the three teams, who used the competition as an important stepping stone towards the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany in October. England and Scotland both received silver medals and Wales was awarded a high bronze medal.
England team manager Nick Vadis, culinary director for Compass Group UK, was delighted with the result. “I think it’s a fantastic result and shows that we are on the right route for the Culinary Olympics,” he said. “Our dishes are evolving all the time and they can only get better.
“The flavours were good and to me that is key. The comments from the judges were mostly positive. The only negatives were that we need to simplify some of the elements.
“It is a relatively new team and I think it works better when you get a mix of chefs from different backgrounds, as they all learn from each other.
“The Battle for the Dragon is a great event and deserves to get more publicity. There is massive rivalry between the teams, as there is in rugby and football, but at the end of the day we are all chefs and respect each other’s dishes.”
Each team was challenged to cook identical three course meals for 85 people in the Battle for the Dragon contest, which is organised by the Culinary Association if Wales with Food and Drink Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government’s department representing the food and drink industry, as its main sponsor.
The medals and the Dragon Trophy were presented by Wales’ Deputy Minister for Farming and Food Rebecca Evans and Dragan Unic, North Europe Continental director for the World Association of Chefs’ Societies, who was chairman of judges for the contest.
The England team is managed by Nick Vadis, culinary director for Compass Group UK and captained by Adam Smith, head chef at the Devonshire Arms Hotel, Skipton. Team members are Simon Webb, from HSBC, Canary Wharf, London, Clark Crawley, from Gather & Gather, Lloyds Banking Group, London, Dennis Mwakulua from Eversheds, Restaurant Associates, London, Andrew Ditchfield from the House of Commons, London and Nathan Aldous from Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Their winning menu opened with a starter of seared scallop, smoked eel, horseradish bon bon, cauliflower textures, pickled beets, apple and truffle. Their main course was aged Welsh Beef, mushroom purée, hen of the woods, oxtail, pickled onion, turnip and Tunworth. Dessert was glazed chocolate mousse, caramelised mascarpone and spiced winter pear with almond and honey cake and almond milk ice-cream.
Scotland’s team manager is Bruce Lawrence, executive chef for Entier Limited, Aberdeen and captain is Orry Shand, sous chef at The Chester Hotel, Aberdeen, which also provides team member Craig Palmer. The other team members are Robbie Penman from Pebble Hydro, Peebles, Darren Seggie from City of Glasgow College, Gareth Linden from The Champany Inn, Linlithgow and Ross Murray from New Lanark Mill Hotel, New Lanark.
Scotland served up a starter of seared West Coast scallop, smoked haddock Scotch egg, Barwheys Cheddar espuma, caramelised cauliflower and jus gras. Main course is roast Scotch lamb loin, spiced glazed flank, crispy sweetbread, semolina gnocchi, carrot and apricot puree and black olive jus. Dessert is 72% chocolate cremeaux, caramel mousse, noisette crumb, Yuzu gel, roast banana ice cream and shortbread foam.
The Wales team is captained by Danny Burke, co-owner of the Shared Olive Restaurant, Hawarden and Cheshire-based Olive Tree Catering and managed by Peter Fuchs, culinary director at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.
The other team members are Hefin Roberts, head chef at Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn, Beaumaris, Kieran Harry, a freelance chef, Karl Jones-Hughes, executive pastry chef and Simon Crockford, head chef, from the Celtic Manor Resort and Michael Ramsden, training officer with Cambrian Training Company, Welshpool.
Wales served up a starter of air dried ham wrapped monkfish, smoked haddock kiev with chilli and laverbread, butter parsley and bone marrow custard, beetroot and walnut soil, horseradish mousse and pickled apple.
Main course was roasted Welsh Lamb rump with toasted barley and thyme leek, potato and lamb pastry, glazed vegetables and craft beer jus. Dessert was chocolate, raspberry and coconut dark chocolate and ginger cake truffle, coconut mallow, iced raspberry air warm raspberry sponge and caramel wafer.
The WICC was packed with exciting competitions for learner, junior and senior chefs and waiting staff. Around 300 competitors attended the WICC. More than 1,000 people viewed the WICC via
a live web stream.
Dennis Mwakulua and Lee Corke receive the Dragon Trophy on behalf
of England from Wales’ Deputy Minister for Farming and Food Rebecca
Evans and Dragan Unic, North Europe Continental director for the World
Association of Chefs’ Societies.
The Wales team with Deputy Minister for Farming and Food
Rebecca Evans and Dragan Unic, North Europe Continental
director for the World Association of Chefs’ Societies.
Scotland with Wales’ Deputy Minister for Farming and Food
Rebecca Evans and Dragan Unic, North Europe Continental
director for the World Association of Chefs’ Societies.
Picture caption:
Top: The England team celebrates with the Battle for the Dragon trophy.
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