Roux Scholarship announces the 2011 finalists

The organisers of the 2011 Roux Scholarship have named the six contenders for the April final.

Mark Birchall, L'Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria, Richard Edwards, Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire, Pramod Ghadge, Restaurant Associates, London, Nick Whatmough, Restaurant Associates, Barclays Wealth, London, Neven Vanderzee, Galvin At Windows, London and Quinton Bennett, Haymarket Hotel, London will compete at Westminster Kingsway College on 18 April.

The Birmingham heat was judged by Alain Roux, chef-patron of the Waterside Inn in Bray, Saturday Kitchen presenter James Martin and 1997 Roux Scholar Steve Love. The London heat was judged by Michel Roux Jnr, chef-patron of Le Gavroche, chef-restaurateurs Gary Rhodes and Brian Turner, David Nicholls, corporate director of food and beverage for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and two-Michelin-starred chef Andrew Fairlie of Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles and the first winner of the Roux Scholarship title.

Thirty minutes prior to the start of the competition, the finalists will be given the recipes and ingredients for a main dish, either classic or modern, and asked to prepare and present it. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park that evening.

Many of this year's scholars hail from the kitchens of former scholars. Vanderzee works with 2002 scholar Andre Garrett, Whatmough previously worked with 2008 scholar Dan Cox, Edwards works alongside 2009 scholar Hrishikesh Desai and Bennett also worked with Andrew Jones, the 2004 scholar. Birchall, Simon Rogan's head chef, competed in the finals in 2010,

The winner will receive an invitation to cook and train under the supervision of a leading chef at a prestigious three-Michelin-starred restaurant anywhere in the world for up to three months, to the value of £5,000, courtesy of the Savoy Educational Trust.

In addition the Roux Scholar will receive a week's work experience in New York (with flights and accommodation provided) courtesy of Restaurant Associates, an exclusive Jeroboam of Gosset Grande Réserve NV, signed by all the judges, an expenses-paid trip for two to visit the wine cellars of Gosset at Epernay, including a guided tour of the production process, a tasting of the Gosset range, travel by Eurostar and overnight accommodation with bed and breakfast, courtesy of Champagne Gosset worth £650, a trip for two to visit the Caffé Musetti roasting factory with flights, transfers and a night's accommodation in Milan, courtesy of L'Unico, a free subscription to Caterer and Hotelkeeper for one year, a set of Global Knives to the value of £1,000, a five-piece d5 stainless steel engraved set of pans, worth £1,200, from All-Clad, registration free of charge with the Hospitality Learning Network and access to a free management study unit under the Ecarus Scheme, courtesy of Hospitality and Leisure Management.

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By Amanda Afiya

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