Young chef scoops regional culinary prize in Birmingham
A 16-year-old local student was yesterday awarded the prize of Springboard FutureChef West Midlands at University College Birmingham. Kieran Mole (pictured, with plate) from South Bromsgrove High School will now go on to compete at a national level with eleven other aspiring young chefs from around the UK.
[by Ahmed Ahmed]
The Springboard FutureChef competition calls on culinary enthusiasts between the ages of 12 and 16 to try their hand at serving up gourmet cuisine to the high standards seen on popular television cooking programmes such as MasterChef and Britain’s Best Dish.
Saturday’s five regional finalists were challenged with creating a main course and dessert from a priced list of diverse ingredients including lamb chops, cardamom pods, bay leaf, and double cream. And in an extra, recession-appropriate twist, the young chefs had to ensure that the total cost of their meal came in at £8.00 or under.
This year’s West Midlands regional final came at a time when Birmingham’s culinary scene is enjoying international attention. The competition took place at University College Birmingham (formerly The College of Food), which has produced many other talented chefs including MasterChef 2011 finalist, Claire Hutchings.
The finalists were judged by notable local food pundits: (pictured above left to right) Glynn Purnell, Head Chef at Birmingham’s Michelin-starred restaurant Purnell’s, Marco Manner of Thistle Hotel Birmingham, and Richard McComb, food critic at the Birmingham Post.
Birmingham winner Sidrah Zahid of Small Heath School was awarded runner-up, but the judges gave the top regional spot to Kieran Mole after tasting his sea bream with potato scales, served with spinach and parsnip crisps and followed by a plum pastry with crème anglaise (pictured above).
Reacting to his win, Kieran said: “Cooking is a passion for me and the reason I entered was to try and prove to myself that I could do it. Winning has made me think that I might even have what it takes to be a professional chef one day. I might just do it.”
To find out more about Springboard’s work with young people and how you or someone you know might get involved, visit their website here.
