Celebrity chef Aiden Byrne wowed Sheffield College students by demonstrating the culinary skills that have clinched him a place in the finals of BBC2’s Great British Menu after winning the north west heat last month. He is down to the last eight chefs competing in the final which will air on March 25th.
The Michelin-starred chef from Liverpool, who turned his fortunes around after going to catering college, showed off his contemporary culinary skills in his trademark theatrical style to around 50 Sheffield College catering students studying for the Professional Chefs Diploma.
Link with Comic Relief
He demonstrated the two dishes that secured his finalist place in the Great British Menu: a classical frogs legs starter and a prawn cocktail main course. The tv competition involves top British chefs competing for the chance to cook a banquet for a high profile figure, and the brief is to link in with the Comic Relief fundraising initiative. The challenge is to create gastronomically sound dishes, which have a sense of humour and demonstrate performance on a plate.
Transforming the prawn cocktail
Students saw how the humble prawn cocktail dish can be radically transformed. Aiden’s variation on the dish involves blowing up a balloon, injecting liquid nitrogen into it to freeze it, filling the balloon with passion fruit puree, and rolling it over liquid nitrogen until the contents freeze. Then he cuts away the outer layer of balloon, revealing a dome which he lays on a bed of prawns, baby beetroot and passion fruit.
Aiden explains: “Prawn cocktail is viewed as a culinary joke, so my dish builds on that concept and aims to create a striking, comical result with the wow factor. I enjoy serving classical food that excite, but which use contemporary techniques. I like to encourage students to stick with the classical culinary marriages, because they’ve endured for a reason.”
He added: “It’s really important to inspire young people going into the catering industry, because it can be really tough to stick at it, especially in the early years when you’re working your way up the ladder. If I can inspire just one of the students, then I feel as though I’ve done my bit.”
The Sheffield College
Aiden’s demonstration took place at the £60 million Sheffield City College campus, Granville Road, part of The Sheffield College in South Yorkshire, whose catering staff and students have an award winning reputation and which has a £1.2 million catering wing fitted with the latest industry facilities. The event was organised by award winning catering lecturer Len Unwin.
Julie Byrne, Principal of Sheffield City College, and an Executive Director at The Sheffield College, said: “Aiden’s achievements from the days when he was at catering college are truly inspirational. We are thrilled that a chef of such high standing has taken the time to share the secrets of his success with our students. Our catering study programmes have a reputation for excellence, and we have strong industry links that provide the additional benefit of developing our students’ work-related skills, and helping them to gain employment.”
Aiden Byrne
Chef and restaurateur Aiden Byrne, from Liverpool, is a former head chef of The Dorchester in London. He became the youngest chef ever, at the age of 22, to win a Michelin star after completing a catering course at college and leaving school with few qualifications. He runs two restaurants in the north west, the award winning Church Green in Lymm, Cheshire, and Craxton Wood, Ledsham, near Chester.
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