Parliamentary Pub Chef of the Year finalists revealed
The final eight have been whittled down from more than 130 MP nominations for the competition, run by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group in partnership with Nestlé Professional.
The competition, which is in its second year, recognises the skill and talent of pub chefs and the important role they play in their local community and economy.
The eight chefs will go on to cook for judges in London in January, competing for two titles that will be announced at an awards ceremony in the House of Commons on Wednesday 7 February 2018.
The expert panel of judges included Fuller’s director of food Paul Dickinson, Nestlé Professional executive chef Andrej Prokes, beer and pub trade consultant Kate Hempsall and Hospitality Jobs UK director Dawn Redman.
The eight finalists are:
Parliamentary Pub Chef of the Year
Kevin Mclean of the Rat Inn, Hexham, Northumberland – nominated by MP for Hexham, Guy Opperman
Oliver Farrar of the Durham Ox, Crayke, York – nominated by MP for Thirsk and Malton, Kevin Hollinrake
Ryan Lamb of the Tally Ho, Broughton, Hampshire – nominated by MP for Romsey and Southampton North, Caroline Nokes
Craig Jeffery of the Ship Inn, Wadebridge, Cornwall – nominated by MP for North Cornwall, Scott Mann
Parliamentary Young Pub Chef of the Year
Michael di Bella of the Dean Inn, Chichester, West Sussex – nominated by MP for Chichester, Gillian Keegan
Gordon Stott of the Sun Inn, Basingstoke, Hampshire – nominated by MP for North West Hampshire, Kit Malthouse
Ben Morgan of the Plough Inn, Ealing, west London – nominated by MP for Ealing and Southall, Virendra Sharma
Amy Houghton of the Shoulder of Mutton, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire – nominated by MP of Calder Valley, Craig Whittaker
BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: “Last year’s nominees were of a high standard but this year really has seen a step up in quality.
“The entries showed the breadth of talent on display in our pubs and I am excited to see what our finalists produce in the cook-off.”
Nestlé Professional executive chef and competition judge Andrej Prokes echoed Simmonds’ high praise of this year’s entrants.
He said: “The standard of entries for this year’s competition was extremely high. I was really impressed with the quality and attention to detail shown by the nominees.
“The finalists can already be really proud of what they have achieved and I am excited to sample their work.”
