The Lamb for St Andrews Young Chef Competition brought together young chefs within the Caledonian Heritage Group to “showcase their talents” at Archerfield.
The event was run by the Scotch Beef Club, an initiative managed by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS). Scotch Beef Club members serve Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork, which is fully traceable and quality assured, coming from trusted Scottish farms.
The focus of the competition was on creating dishes using a Scotch Lamb six-bone rack provided by QMS, with contestants demonstrating their creativity and skill. Each dish was presented with a full recipe and detailed costings, while a range of vegetables was available to enhance their creations.
The esteemed judging panel included Derek Johnstone and Joe Queen of Archerfield and Gordon Newlands from QMS. After careful deliberation, the judges named Andrew Smail from Kelso as the champion. The winning recipe may now be featured by QMS in future promotional materials, and Andrew will also gain an exclusive industry placement opportunity organised by QMS.
Gordon Newlands, brands development manager at QMS said: “We are incredibly proud of all the finalists for their hard work and impressive skill. The versatility of Scotch Lamb was truly on display throughout the competition, and each dish showed a unique interpretation of its potential.
“Congratulations to Andrew on this outstanding achievement - this competition highlights the immense talent within the industry, and we’re excited to see these chefs continue to flourish.”
All finalists were recognised for their hard work and dedication with a special goody bag courtesy of QMS. The finalists included Grace Darrie, Finn Vaughan Watson, Anthony Birrell, and Logan Morris.
Joe Queen, executive chef of Archerfield, commented: “The research and flair the young chefs produced was excellent, using a superb cut of Scotch lamb helped embrace them to strive forward and put their passion into the creativity of some fine cooking – and, yes, it was a treat to taste!
“Let see more of this in helping develop and nurture our younger generation getting to understand the importance of working with top quality products from our Scottish farms to support the next range of quality chefs coming through.”
QMS said the event highlighted Scotland’s premium quality produce and the “rising stars of the culinary world”, leaving a lasting impact on all who attended.
