Alex Thain from Edinburgh's Etain restaurant was crowned Ramsay Scholar 2005 on Monday after a closely fought final staged at the Restaurant Show in London.

The skills of Thain and nine other finalists were tested in a cook-off over three hours, during which they had to cook a three-course meal comprising two compulsory dishes - a classic nioise salad and a chocolate tart - and a recipe created from a mystery basket of ingredients given to finalists on the day.

The main element of the basket was sea bass, which Thain matched with a fennel and a velout of shallots and garlic.