A Co Down man is set to put all his skills to the test as he competes to be name Britain's best young chef.
Dillon Smyth, who is currently a junior sous chef at the Poacher's Pocket in Lisbane, has made it through to the semi-finals of the Roux Scholarship 2023, which was founded by Michel Roux OBE and his brother Albert.
On Thursday, March 9, he will go up against other regional finalists in Birmingham to try and impress judges, including Alain Roux and James Martin, in the hope of making the final.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, the 24-year-old Comber man said he was delighted but surprised when he got the news after only deciding to put his recipe in for consideration at the last minute.
"It popped up on my Instagram about a year ago and I had seen it but I wasn't too sure so we talked about it and I wasn't sure if I wanted to enter but I entered it last minute," said Dillon, a former Nendrum College pupil.
"I had sent off a recipe with costing and pricing for portions of £22 per person and the likes of Michel Roux, Claire Smyth and the top chefs who are the judges in the competition, judge that recipe blind, so they don't know who it is, it is all done by a number.
"Then I got an email to say I had got into the regional finals."
This year, 12 of the 18 finalists are new to the competition and they hail from hotels, pubs, private member’s clubs and contract catering establishments across the UK.
They were selected from their written recipes that used strip loin of dry-aged beef, a beef offal ingredient and Belgian chicory.
"I was a bit anxious but we had entered but had thought we might not get through, we just didn't really know, I was very surprised when I got the email," said Dillon.
"I am nervous, a bit anxious just with the travel and stuff like that. I am flying from Northern Ireland so it is a bit harder to try and get food produce over there. Feeling nervous but good as well, it will be good for me."
For the regional final, competitors will have two and a half hours to cook their dish, along with a dessert from a mystery box of ingredients given to them on the day. The judges will be looking for recipes and methods, which demonstrate the best balance of creativity, taste, style and practicality in the finished dish.
"They provide me with my sirloin for the competition and I will source the other ingredients I use over, there so there are wholesalers and fruit and veg markets over there," he said.
"I have to do the dish I wrote for the recipe, I had done a seared Glenarm sirloin , braised chicory, beef tongue pie, sauce and celeriac puree and celeriac powder. I need to make that in the two and a half hours and you also get a mystery dessert box so you have to complete your dish and mystery box in that time.
"It will be very under pressure."
Dillon said he always knew he wanted to be a chef and after leaving school with his GCSEs, went straight to Belfast Met to complete a level 2 and 3 patisserie and confectionery course. He then went on to do a level 2 bakers course and level 2 professional cookery course which is when he got into the kitchen at the Poacher's Pocket and into the Balloo Inns group.
"As it was my first job I was a bit anxious but as the years have gone on, I am here five years now, I love every bit of it," said Dillon, who was inspired by his mum's baking and learning Home Economics at school.
"I love the team, the people you work with have your back and you have theirs as well. For me it is all about team work and everyone grafting together, we are one big team working together as a unit."
Looking to the future, Dillon said he is very happy where he is but hopes to continue getting more experience in the kitchen as he figures out his next steps.
Thanking his employers, Dillon added: "Just a big thank you to Balloo Inns group, the company have supported me the whole way through this and it's really nice."
Michel Roux founded the Roux Scholarship with his brother Albert to enable a new generation of chefs from Britain to train in the greatest restaurants in the world and the first ever competition took place in 1984.
Not only has it become the industry’s most acclaimed chef competition in the UK with many scholars having gone on to win Michelin stars themselves, it ranks among the most prestigious competitions for chefs in the world.
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