FORGET JUNK FOOD... THESE SCHOOL KIDS ARE COOKING UP A GOURMET STORM
DOWN TO WORK: FutureChef stars compete for the title
By Emily Garnham for express.co.uk
STRESSED dinner ladies across Britain are struggling to deliver super-healthy school dinners, but perhaps they should just ask their students for a helping hand.
The culinary stars of the future have been battling it out this week to produce restaurant-standard food for a panel of celebrity chefs.
And they’ve all proved that gourmet cuisine is well within their reach.
FutureChef - fronted by Saturday Kitchen star Brian Turner CBE - is open to students aged 12-16 and has seen 7,000 hopefuls work up a sweat to deliver top-class food under extreme pressure.
And the winner is barely tall enough to reach the saucepans.
EXPRESS VIDEOS: GET RECIPES AND MOUTH-WATERING FOOD FEATURES
Luke Thomas, 15, wowed the judges with a melt-in-the-mouth rack of lamb, creamed savoy cabbage, shallot tarte tatin and rosemary jus followed by a double chocolate soufflé with orange and ginger confit.
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TV chef Brian Turner dishes out orders to the 12 young finalists
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The wannabe chef from Connah’s Quay High School in Wales trained with Michael Roux Jr. at La Gavroche and under the watchful eye of Simon Radley at the Michelin starred Chester Grosvenor.
He told Express.co.uk: “The butchery of the lamb was the fiddliest part definitely but I only cooked the dishes four times before the final.”
Competitors had to prepare a hot main meal and a hot or cold dessert from a basket of ingredients which included rack of English lamb, whole sea bream and risotto rice.
Ready Steady Cook star and FutureChef judge Lesley Waters was astounded by the talent demonstrated by the 12 young finalists but said the decision had been unanimous.
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Luke’s lamb looked clean, it looked mouth-watering.
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She said: “Luke’s lamb looked clean, it looked mouth-watering. I wanted to sit down and eat the whole plate.
“It was flavoursome, it had been seasoned nicely, cooked beautifully, succulent and I tell you - within five seconds, that plate was gone!”
EXPRESS VIDEOS: GET RECIPES AND MOUTH-WATERING FOOD FEATURES
Luke scooped the top prize of £500, an all-expenses paid trip to Rome, a visit to Gary Rhodes’ restaurant and some spanking new Kenwood kitchen gadgets.
Larger-than-life TV chef Ainsley Harriot said the competition proves that British tastes are more adventurous than ever.
“Gone are the days when Brits turn up in Spain and ask for sausage and chips,” he said.
“All these cooking programmes we have on television make young people more excited about cooking and the industry and more knowledgable about food than ever before.
“When I was Luke’s age the food he cooked today wouldn’t have been appreciated. It was a case of doing a main course and then the waiter would come round with vegetables on a separated tray and serve them.”
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The young stars impressed celebrity judges and veterans of the cooking industry
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