Rhys Richardson, Development Chef for Servest Catering in London and the South has been named the Blue Arrow Chef of the Year 2015 following a hotly contested final at Leiths School of Food & Wine in Portobello, London.

Rhys’ winning menu was:

Starter: Venison tartare, crispy quail’s egg, smoked emulsion and beetroot

Fish: Duo of hand dived scallops, granny smith apple, hazelnut crème fraiche, chorizo oil and pea shoot

Main: Pan seared partridge, horseradish mash, black cabbage, date puree and pomegranate reductio

Dessert: Clementine cheesecake, gingerbread and pickled cranberries

Rhys’ competitors were Michal Wlodarczyk from The King’s Head House in Eastington, Gloucestershire and Jonathan Taylor and Rian Devaney, both from BaxterStorey – Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The contestants had just three hours to cook their signature dishes as part of a four-course meal under the watchful eye of our experienced panel of judges – Richard Skinner, Executive Chef for Artizian Catering (and Blue Arrow’s first Chef Of The Year Winner 2013), Sudha Saha, Executive Head Chef at the Saffron Group, and Mark Sargeant, Michelin star Chef and restauranteur. The chefs had to rely on their ability to think on their feet as the judges surprised them with a fish course where each contestant had to make a dish with scallops and a handful of set ingredients.