Posted: 26th May 2016
Shepherd Neame Chef Shortlisted For National Award
Licensee Rob Taylor of The Compasses Inn in Crundale near Canterbury has been shortlisted for the 2016 National Chef of the Year competition.
Rob, who has run the Shepherd Neame pub with wife Donna since 2013, was among 40 semi-finalists chosen from a total of 159 entries.
It is the first time Rob has entered the competition, which was founded in 1972 and is regarded as the UK’s most prestigious culinary title.
For the first stage, chefs were asked to submit a creative lunch menu for two guests which had to consist of a risotto starter; a main course using a whole chicken, with appropriate accompaniments; and a choux pastry dessert.
Rob’s entry comprised lobster risotto with tarragon clotted cream; roast chicken breast, chicken Ballantine with bacon and sage, asparagus, potato fondant and chicken broth; and salted caramel-filled profiteroles with chocolate mousse, crumbed chocolate and caramel.
As a semi-finalist, he will now be given two hours to cook all three dishes at Le Cordon Bleu in London next month, before 10 chefs are chosen to go through to the final on October 4 at The Restaurant Show.
If successful, it will be the latest in a long line of accolades for Rob’s work, with recent awards including Kent Life Food and Drink Awards Winner 2015; Waitrose Good Food Guide 2015; Harden’s UK Restaurant Guide 2015 and Shepherd Neame Restaurant of the Year 2014.
Rob, 35, said:
It is the first time that I have entered this competition, and I am absolutely thrilled to have been chosen as a semi-finalist. I am really looking forward to cooking my menu for the judges next month. I will be up against very stiff competition, from renowned sites such as Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Petrus Restaurant, but you have to be in it to win it, and I will just try my best and enjoy it.