Great Yorkshire Cookery Competition 2006
Talented chefs from all over Yorkshire are being invited to show off their culinary
skills in the third Great Yorkshire Cookery Competition – and for the first time,
it is being organised in association with Harvey Nichols, the famous designer
store.
The competition is run by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, best known as the
organisers of the hugely successful Great Yorkshire Show which provides a platform
for the region’s finest food and its source – the farm.
Open to anyone with a love of good food and Yorkshire produce, it features three
categories:
- The Great Yorkshire Professional Chef of the Year - open to any professional chef.
- The Great Yorkshire Amateur Chef of the Year - for any enthusiastic amateur cook aged over 16.
- The Great Yorkshire Young Cook of the Year - for anyone aged 16 years and under.
Nigel Pulling, Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural said: “the importance
of regional produce cannot be over stated. With concerns about the distances imported
food travels and global warming, it is more important than ever to highlight the
benefits of regional food, both for its taste and quality and because it makes
ecological sense.”
Entrants must send an original recipe for either a starter, main course or dessert,
using Yorkshire produce as far as possible and costing less than £10 to make.
A 100 word written submission is required giving the rationale behind the dish
and highlighting the Yorkshire produce used,
In September a judging panel, including Richard Allen, Head Chef at Harvey Nichols’
Fourth Floor Restaurant in Leeds, will select four finalists from each group to
take part in a 90-minute ‘cook-off’ in the prestigious Harvey Nichols kitchen.
The shortlisted chefs will prepare, cook and serve their dishes to the judges,
with winners announced on the day.
The judging panel consists of; Elaine Lemm, Food & Wine Editor of Yorkshire
Life magazine; Karen Carlyle, Executive Director of the Regional Food Group for
Yorkshire and Humber; Fiona Movley, Marketing Manager at the Yorkshire Agricultural
Society and a local celebrity, to be confirmed.
Each winner will receive a wall plaque and framed certificate, along with a £250
cash prize, and will also cook their dish at the Countryside Live! Food and Farming
Fair in October.
Richard Allen said the judges would be looking for nutritious and healthy recipes
coupled with innovative and imaginative use of seasonal Yorkshire produce.
“From both the amateur and professional side, it’s a fantastic competition because
it creates impetus for keen chefs to come up with dishes using local ingredients
with a bit of a story behind them.
“It’s not easy to come to a different restaurant and cook for other people –
the finalists in previous years have managed admirably and I’m sure this year
will be no exception.”
Richard added: “I’m always amazed by the amateur cooks – they are amateur in
name only, but not in the amount of talent they have.
“The Young Cook competition is also a great way of getting youngsters enthusiastic
in the kitchen – it makes them think about the food they are using, where it comes
from and how important it is to be healthy. Harvey Nichols is delighted to support
a competition which encourages youngsters to turn away from the ‘ready meal’ culture.”
The deadline for competition entries is appropriately “Yorkshire Day” - Tuesday
1 August 2006. All recipes and submissions must be accompanied by a completed
entry form, available from: Great Yorkshire Cookery Competition, Yorkshire Agricultural
Society, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, HG2 8PW; telephone 01423 541000;
email info@yas.co.uk.
Robert Ramsden, winner of the
Professional Chef category 2005