A YOUNG chef is hoping to sauté her way to success this weekend with Jersey-inspired dishes in the district finals of a national cooking competition.
Scarlett Crow, a Year 10 pupil at Jersey College for Girls, triumphed over students from Les Quennevais and Grainville schools at the local round in February, tantalising the tastebuds of professional chefs and Education Minister Inna Gardiner and earning a spot in the Rotary Young Chef district final, which is due to take place today.
Scarlett said: ‘I felt quite shocked and obviously very happy. I was not expecting it at all as there were lots of other people there who had cooked amazing dishes.’
There were also prizes given out for the best use of local ingredients, and the best starter, main course, and dessert not from the winner’s menu.
The Rotary Young Chef Competition has returned after a three-year hiatus due to Covid. The national competition, organised by the Rotary Club of Great Britain, challenges students aged 13 or 14 years to prepare a healthy three-course meal for no more than £22 in two hours.
Since winning the local round, Scarlett has had the opportunity to spend a morning perfecting her dishes with Will Holland, executive chef at the Atlantic Hotel, which she said was an ‘amazing experience’.
Discussing competing against students from Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire, the JCG pupil, who is currently studying for a GCSE in food and nutrition, added: ‘I’m excited but also quite nervous because I have no idea what the competition will be like. I’m just looking forward to doing my best and enjoying the experience.’
Scarlett revealed her selection of mouthwatering Jersey-inspired dishes which will be on the menu this weekend. ‘My starter is Jersey scallops, served with chorizo crumbs, and cauliflower purée with homegrown pea shoots. For the main course, I will be cooking chicken stuffed with garlic-and-herb cream cheese and wrapped in prosciutto, served with duchess potatoes, garlic-buttered green beans and local vine tomatoes. The dessert will be a sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and Jersey Chantilly cream,’ she said.
If Scarlett places in the top three, she will progress to the regional finals.
