A teenage catering student from Selby has been named as Yorkshire’s best young chef and received prizes to create a new food product for ASDA and a work placement with Cranswick.
Alongside ASDA, Cranswick is proud to be one of the main sponsors and food suppliers for the Golden Apron 2015 competition, now in its third year.
Kurtus Auty, 18, won the Golden Apron 2015 title in a keenly-fought final at the Pipe and Glass Inn at South Dalton, near Beverley this week.
The competition is run by James Mackenzie, the chef and owner of the Michelin-starred Pipe and Glass, and the Yorkshire Wolds Cookery School and farming company JSR, both based at Southburn near Driffield. The competition is open to young chefs aged between 14 and 19 from across the county.
Kurtus, a Level 2 Professional Cookery student at Selby College, beat off fierce competition from Zacharias Abbot (16) from Stamford Bridge, a Level 2 Professional Cookery student at York College, and 15-year-old Jemima Harpin from Nun Monkton, who is studying for GCSEs including food and nutrition at Queen Margaret’s School, York.
The trio of talented teenagers cooked their own pork dish and a pudding recipe supplied by James at the semi-final, held at the Yorkshire Wolds Cookery School last month. This week each cooked a starter-sized portion of a dish of their own design for 70 guests who then voted ‘blind’ on the three dishes. The three were supported in the kitchen by James and his team and by Mark Richmond, Innovation Development Chef at ASDA.
Kurtus’s winning dish was herb-crusted fillet of pork, apple and black pudding bon bon, Ampleforth Cider and butternut squash purée.
James said: “I’m very passionate about bringing young people into the industry. The standard this year was brilliant – I’m sure I couldn’t cook this well at their age!”
Mark added: “I can’t believe the quality and standard of cooking from these young chefs – the flavours are absolutely outstanding.”
The winner was announced by Fiona Lambert, ASDA’s Vice President – Brand Design and Development, who said: “Kurtus will be working with us to create a new product, which is the lifeblood of our business.”
As part of his prize, Kurtus will receive a work placement with Cranswick. Sales and Marketing Director, Marcus Hoggarth, added: “The three finalists are all incredibly technically gifted. We look forward to welcoming Kurtus to our team to learn about the business.”
For further information on The Golden Apron 2015 visit: www.thegoldenapron.co.uk