The Paper Submission round asked entrants to submit a seasonal written menu of two cover dishes, a main and an amuse bouche. Alongside the written menu, entrants were asked to outline their method of creating their two dishes.
For her main course, Emily submitted a lamb tagine with smoked aubergine puree, chickpea salad and a lemon and saffron cous cous. For her amuse bouche, she designed a modern take on fish and chips with whitebait tempura and pea puree presented in fried potato baskets with a caper vinaigrette. Both of this admirable dishes showed creativity, technical skill and a great understanding of flavour – just three of the reasons why she was chosen to continue to the next round of Chef Stagiaire.
An experienced young chef in her own right, Emily began her cooking career as a Commis Chef at the Horse and Groom in Mortimer, Berkshire. The restaurant spotting her potential swiftly promoted her to Sous Chef in a neighbouring restaurant owned by the same company, where she took on more responsibility and was given the opportunity to experiment further with her technical ability. Now aged 22, she works at fine dining restaurant 28-50 as Chef de Partie in London.