Devon chef is South West Chef of the Year
A Devon chef has been crowned South West Chef of the Year 2010 in a competition organised by food group Taste of the West.
Three finalists competed in the final of the professional class competition and had to create a starter and main course for judges.
Matthew Downing of the Jack in the Green at Rockbeare near Exeter won the competition with a menu of steamed seabass fillet with a tomato and crouton salad, basil oil and basil cress followed by a pan fried fillet of veal with a white truffle and thyme risotto, crisp sweetbreads, steamed baby vegetables and a morel mushroom sauce.
The judges, which included Michael Caines MBE, Peter Gorton and James and Christopher Tanner, based their decision on the "quality and imagination" of the recipe, the balance of the courses and the locality of the ingredients.
Chief executive of Taste of the West John Sheaves said: "The competence and skill demonstrated by both the professional and amateur chefs taking part in this competition was outstanding. Matthew did a great job and his success is very worthy coming as he does from the now very established Jack in the Green stable."
