Dines Out: Top of the chefs

Duncan Ray Little Fish Market

In a week’s time I will have been on stage once again, with my friend from BBC Sussex, Allison Ferns, to announce the winners of this year’s Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival Awards. It’s a job that I have been doing for many years now and one that I really enjoy.

In the last few years we have seen the gastronomic endeavours of the city’s food and drink industry, whether bars and restaurants or food producers, achieve at last the national and international recognition that we have long believed they deserve.

This year my special area of judging was to chair the competition for top chef and best young chef and it was no cake walk, in fact not one served a dessert. I’m only joking, all six competitors were certainly worthy of being in the final.

Here are the best chefs who made it to the last three and in no particular order.

Duncan Ray from The Little Fish Market’s cooking is based on classic ideas and combinations that he takes to the next level. Precise cooking, clean flavours and expert seasoning made his dish a real delight that we kept returning to.

The competitions for best chef were no cake walk

Michael Bremner 64 Degrees

Michael Bremner from 64 Degrees is, unsurprisingly, a chef cooking at the top of the game, but probably not his top as we are never surprised by the invention that he employs in creating exciting new dishes. And on this occasion it was that combination of classic skill, modern techniques and pure invention that really shone.

Steven Edwards from Etch is a confident and precise chef whose seemingly simple dishes are actually the culmination of talent and experience – and that manifests itself in food that is in fact in its construction complex – but simply delicious.

The young chefs were: Jackson Heron from 64 Degrees cooked partridge and certainly got it right. He showed us that he is a chef who, whilst working at 64 Degrees has learned a great deal but is also developing his own style of dish rather then simply copying his employer.

Watching George Boarer from Etch work in the kitchen was fascinating, focused and clean. His process was a fine example of the intelligent care that a modern chef needs to make it in the competitive arena of modern cuisine. We all agreed that this was a very fine dish that respected and showed partridge at its best.

George Ousley from Isaac @ created a dish that we loved and tackled the cooking of oysters, a route that could easily go wrong but was actually a triumph. It was a brave and stylish dish that we really admired – and finished.

The winners will be announced on 6 November.