After 6 weeks of creating recipes at home to test and improve our culinary skills, it was now time for the 10 finalists to go head to head to see who would be crowned Kenwood Chef.
The live final was held at AVEQIA cookery school in London on Saturday 28th November 2015.
We were allowed to bring family/friends along to support us. I went with David and my little munchkins. We arrived at 1pm and were warmly greeted by the Clarion team.
We sat down to have lunch and meet my fellow finalists and judges. It was such a lovely environment, lunch was great and everyone was having a great time.
The three judges were:
- Raymond Blanc OBE – Michelin Star chef, author and TV personality
- Miranda Gore Browne – Great British Bake Off Finalist and author
- Martin Johns – Kenwood development chef
After lunch, friends and family left and we were briefed on the day’s proceedings and shown to our work stations. We would be judged on our cooking techniques, presentation , taste and progress over our 6 weeks challenge.
I was super nervous, but the judges reminded us to have fun and enjoy cooking. We had to cook a 2 course meal:
- Roquefort Cheese Soufflé
- Garlic mushroom and Ricotta Ravioli in spicy tomato sauce
I was pleased to see Raymond’s cheese soufflé on the menu as I’d make it twice at home.
It got a bit tense in the kitchen sometimes as we had 1.5 hours to create our recipes, plate up and present to the judges. The judges came round while we were cooking and helped out with some useful tips. Raymond even joked around with us and said some of us were very messy, and if we worked in his kitchen we’d all be sacked!
Thankfully there were no disasters in the kitchen! It was an incredible experience and I can’t believe I got through it.
Time for the winner announcement, we are all eager and waiting.
Kenny Beatson from Scotland was crowned the winner. The judges were impressed with how organised he was , quality of his food, presentation and overall progress. Well deserved Kenny!
His prize includes:
- A selection of stylish Kenwood kitchen appliances to the value of £500.
- A two-night stay at Raymond Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons including accommodation, travel, tasting menu on the first evening and an à la carte dinner on the second, full English breakfasts, a tour of the Le Manoir kitchens and a signed copy of Raymond’s latest book Kew on a Plate.
- Two places for a day’s tuition at the Raymond Blanc Cookery School
The rest of us got a trophy “Kenwood Disaster Chef 2015 Finalist”
I’m so pleased I got the opportunity to take part. My confidence in the kitchen has increased and I’m eager to try out new recipes.
Massive thanks to Kenwood, Clarion Communications and the judges.
Thanks for reading. Have a lovely weekend.
Lola 🙂
