Jamie Brittain, demi-chef de partie of the Midland hotel, Manchester, has been crowned QHotel's Chef of the Year, following a cook-off among members of the group's intermediate Chef Academy training programme.
Brittain and fellow finalists - Lowell Cunningham, chef de partie of the Cambridge Belfry and Gareth Rowlands of the Park Royal, near Warrington - had to cook a three-course menu, to sell at £35-£38, with a focus on locally sourced ingredients.
The winning menu included chicken consommé with sea bass, lamb en croute with Lyonnaise potatoes and broccoli purée, and custard tart, raspberry sorbet and Eccles cake.
Michael Purtill, QHotels managing director and member of the Chef's Academy judging panel, said he was in awe of the food served up by all three finalists.
"It was a tough job choosing the winner, but Jamie's dishes really stood out," he said. "Our intermediate Chef of the Year competition, although just in its second year, has already had a huge impact on the quality of the food we serve in our 21 hotels.
"We're passionate about nurturing talent in our business and this competition today really shows this in action."
The competition was followed by a celebratory dinner at which Brittain was presented with his prize of a holiday to Turkey and the runners-up were rewarded with a set of Global knives.
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By Janet Harmer
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