Roux Scholarship finalists and young guns winners revealed

The six national finalists for the 25th Roux Scholarship have been revealed.

Christopher Golding of Nahm in Belgravia; Matthew Wilkinson of Martha & Vincent in Ilkley, West Yorkshire; Daniel Cox from Restaurant Associates, the fine-dining division of Compass Group; Adam Peirson of Claridge's hotel, London; Ryan Simpson of Winteringham Fields in Lincolnshire; and Kevin Tew from London's Galvin at Windows will compete in the grand final at London's Westminster Kingsway College on 31 March.

This year's regional finals took place at University College Birmingham and Thames Valley University, and the judges included Tracey MacLeod, restaurant critic for the Independent magazine, and chefs Brian Turner and Alain Roux.

MacLeod said: "The competitors we sent through to the finals were those who struck the best balance between the flavours delivered and the visual presentation."

The organisers of the Roux Scholarship revealed last year that a prize pot of £10,000 for the competition's 25th anniversary would be shared amoung the winners. The winner will receive £5,000 and the other finalists £1,000 each. All six finalists receive a £1,000 bottle of Champagne Gosset Grande Reserve and a £250 set of Global knives.

The grand final will be judged by Alain Roux, Michel Roux, Albert Roux, Michel Roux junior; Heston Blumenthal, Andrew Fairlie, David Nicholls, Gary Rhodes, Turner and MacLeod.

• Shauna Caithness from Sheffield Hallam University and Annie Patterson from Oxford Brookes University are the 2008 Young Guns winners. Caithness spent a year under the watchful eye of Marcus Wareing at Pétrus in London while Patterson spent her placement at Sam's Brasserie, also in the capital.

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By Christopher Walton

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