Roux Scholarship 2011 crowned

20th April 2011, 1:38pm

Mark Birchall, head chef at Simon Rogan's Michelin-starred L'Enclume restaurant in Cumbria, has won the 2011 Roux Scholarship.

Birchall, in his fourth and final year of entry, beat five other finalists in a competition held on the 18th April at Westminster Kingsway College.

His version of the classic Veal Orloff, a boned and stuffed rack of veal, impressed the judges, who included members of the Roux family. Later 250 industry guests gathered to watch him claim his prize at a special evening ceremony at London's Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Michel Roux OBE said: "Mark was a clear winner, his dish was excellent, well seasoned and the cooking of each ingredient was bang on. After three previous times when his name wasn't called he could have given up but his perseverance has paid off, he has honed his skills and shown great determination to succeed, this is what being a Roux Scholar is all about. Well done!"

Birchall commented on his win: "This was the toughest year of all my entries, without a doubt. None of us knew the dish or what it should look like. I knew that seasoning was going to be important and I just let my experience and food sense guide me. It's an amazing feeling. "

The six finalists were given the task of cooking Roasted best end of veal Orloff style, kidney on skewers and stuffed vegetables, truffle jus from the Larousse Gastronomique, a 19th century symbol of classical French haute cuisine.

The young chefs had two and a half hours to complete the task in front of judges. Joining the Roux family this year were Brian Turner CBE, Gary Rhodes OBE, David Nicholls and James Martin. Guest judge was Steve Love, the Roux Scholar from 1997.

Related Articles:

• 23 Jan 2012 - Final call – Roux Scholarship 2012 competition
• 09 Jan 2012 - Chefs urged to enter 2012 Roux Scholarship competition
• 01 Nov 2011 - The 2012 Roux Scholarship contest opens for entries
• 15 Mar 2011 - Roux Scholarship 2011 – six regional finalists announced
• 19 Oct 2010 - The Roux Scholarship 2011 open for entries
• 07 Apr 2009 - Wiltshire chef wins Roux Scholarship
• 09 Mar 2009 - Final six chosen for Roux Scholarship 2009
• 16 Feb 2009 - Regional finalists for Roux Scholarship 2009
• 07 Jan 2009 - Closing date approaches for 2009 Roux Scholarship
• 20 Oct 2008 - 2009 Roux Scholarship now open for entries
• 22 Apr 2008 - Compass Group chef wins Roux Scholarship
• 08 Feb 2008 - The Roux Scholarship regional finalists are out

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