3rd February 2012

SOUTH SOMERSET: Young chef is king of desserts

By Marion Draper

SIX years on from its pilot event, the Crewkerne Rotary Club Young Chefs’ Competition held at Wadham School was won by 16-year-old Ethan Ives, from Ilminster.

He beat last year’s winner, Sam Clarke from Crewkerne, with his mouth-watering combination of English and Irish fish pie followed by white chocolate formed into a collar and filled with vanilla mascarpone with a raspberry compote.

At the competition, held lat Saturday, Ethan was stunned and very pleased to have won, having joked in the kitchen that he did not want to be named last. He attends a work placement at Monks Yard, in Ilminster, where he works in the kitchen two days a week and is heading for an apprenticeship at Somerset College of Arts and Technology in Taunton.

His mother, Monica Ives, said she was extremely proud. “ I do cook, but this is a real passion of his, he gets a lot of help from Monks Yard and cooks at home as well.”

Sam, who took second place, was a real novice in the kitchen when he wowed the judges last year. He showed his passion for the contest again when, despite cutting his thumb quite badly, insisted on being patched up enough to carry on. Sam was given extra time to finish his entry of chicken kievs and chocolate melting puds, while fellow contestant Casper Paine stepped in to do his washing up.

The other competitors were; Tom Wade-Allison, Lorraine Szczepanski, Callum Watts and Tom Johnson.

The menus went back to two courses this year. Last year’s competition ran to three courses to prepare the chefs for the tougher regional contest but with costs in mind it was dropped back.

Regular judges Maureen Fasan, of the White Lion Carvery, and Kath Kersley, from the George Hotel, were joined by former teacher Mandy Charles. The judges said the standard was one of the highest yet with a really good range of well presented food and that their job would have been much harder had some of the entrants not failed to complete their costings and planning sheets. This costly oversight left them ten points down on the others before they even started to cook.

The chefs were marked on their preparation in the kitchen and how tidy they kept their work stations as well as taste and presentation. The tables also had to be laid for two, with a menu of the dishes they had prepared. The two course option allowed for either a starter or a sweet with the main meal.

Organiser, Rotarian Tony Warren congratulated all the contestants on their very high standards and real concentration, focussing on the task even with the slight disturbance in the kitchen.

President David Welch said: “We wouldn’t be able to have this event without the competitors and were very happy to have seven this year. Kate must be very proud of her students, and she made a very good commis for Sam.

“Every year, I am amazed at the diligence of the judges who spend a lot of time here on the day as well as reading the notes in preparation, a special thank you to Mandy who was only asked on Wednesday to be here.”

Wadham School business manager, Sheila Taylor, spoke in place of the headteacher who was involved in Ten Tors training. She said: “The standard of food I have seen prepared here puts my cooking to shame, they are a credit to themselves and Mrs Hodge for her standards of teaching. Thank you to Rotary for your continued support of the school.”

The winner from Wadham will go on to compete in Wincanton on February 25th. The winner will go through to the regional finals.

PICTURE 1: TASTE TEST - Lorraine Szczepanski checks her veggies

PICTURE 2: GOLDEN BROWN - Callum Watts fries his arancini

PICTURE 3: PRESENTATION COUNTS - Tom Johnson at his finished table

PICTURE 4: DETERMINED TO FINISH - 2011 winner Sam Clarke after the professional services of uncle Paul Clarke

PICTURE 5: END OF A LONG DAY - Young11 Chefs with judges and Crewkerne Rotarians