Maids Head Hotel Sous Chef, Elliott Winson, is a finalist in the Norfolk Food and Drink Awards Chef of the Year 2019 competition. Eight chefs will compete in the live cook off, at City College Norwich, on the morning of Tuesday, July 9. This will be followed by a technical skills challenge in the afternoon.
To enter the competition chefs had to submit a main course, with a budget of no more than £4.50 a portion, featuring local, sustainable and seasonal Norfolk produce. Elliott’s main course features Gressingham Duck: confit duck leg with potato rosti, smoked carrot purée, heritage carrots, pickled elderflower and duck jus split with elderflower oil. Chefs will be required to cook four portions of their main course during the live cook off and will have 2½ hours to complete the task.
Elliott said: “This is the second time that I have entered the Chef of the Year competition. I am really pleased to have made it to the final and will do my best to bring home the winner’s accolade for the Maids Head brigade.”
Christine Malcolm, General Manager the Maids Head Hotel said: “Congratulations to Elliott for reaching the final of Norfolk Chef of the Year. Everyone at the hotel wishes him good luck for the cook off on July 9.”
Elliott Winson (28) has worked at the Maids Head for 5½ years. He joined the kitchen team as Chef de Partie, having worked at Norwich Mercure and Dunston Hall, before progressing to Junior Sous Chef, with responsibility for running the patisserie section. Elliott was promoted to Sous Chef eight months ago.
He follows Head Chef, Marcin ‘Magic’ Pomierny, as a finalist in Norfolk Chef of the Year. Magic won the Chef of the Year title in 2016 and has been a semi-finalist in the National Chef of the Year competition, run by the Craft Guild of Chefs, for the last two years.