Stanley House young chef named in top three in UK
Lewis Gallagher, commis chef at Stanley House Hotel’s Grill on the Hill, Mellor has been named as one of the top young chefs in Britain at the National Young Chef of the Year competition.
21 year old Lewis was announced as one of two runners-up at the event, which took place at The Restaurant Show, live at Earl’s Court, London, on Tuesday, October 9. The title was given to Ben Murphy, chef de partie at London’s Pierre Koffmann’s restaurant.
The Stanley House chef took on seven of the best young chef’s in the country after being named as the North West Young Chef of the Year earlier this year.
Lewis’s dazzling menu which scooped him a place in the top three was a starter of goats cheese ravioli served with a baked crisp ham stuffed with confit onions, red wine glazed baby onions and smoked ham foam and a main of crispy sea bass served with seared King scallop, celeriac, braised celery heart and autumn truffle.
Lewis then tried to melt the judges’ hearts by creating an apple mousse served on a blackberry film, lavender anglaise and crisp honeycomb.
Due to such positive feedback in previous rounds of the competition for using locally sourced produce, he chose once again to use the best ingredients from around the UK including; Dorset woodland truffle, Cumbrian air dried ham and Yellison’s goats cheese from near Skipton.
The judges praised Lewis’s menu and valued his commitment throughout the final stages of the competition, they included; Phil Howard, owner of the two-starred Michelin restaurant, The Square, last year’s National Chef of the Year, Frederick Forster, celebrity chef Brian Turner CBE and Sophie Wright, cookery book author and one of the youngest stars of British cuisine.
Lewis who has worked at Stanley House for over two years and is from Blackburn said: “This is such a personal achievement. I am so proud to have had my dishes tested on a national level and compete against the best young chefs.
“This competition was extremely tough but I have received great support from employers, friends and family. Stanley House’s head chef, Andrew Parker helped me to select in-season ingredients and create mouth-watering flavours.”
“I live, eat and breathe food now, I still can’t believe I’ve been mingling with famous faces from the industry. This experience will no doubt propel me on to new things and I have the confidence to take my culinary skills to the next level.”
Stanley House general manager Philip Wharton attended the event along with head chef Andrew Parker. He commented: “Lewis has only been working with food for three years but his commitment to innovation and professionalism shone through in what was a nerve-wracking live final in front of around 200 people.
“This chef is one to watch and we are extremely proud to have him on our team at Stanley House.
“As a business we strive for excellence and staff achievements such as this help us to deliver, we are all extremely proud.”
ENDS.
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Notes to editors:
Picture Shows: Left to right – vice president of the Craft Guild, David Mulcahy, Lewis Gallagher and Chair of judges Steven Munkley
Set in 54 acres of Ribble Valley countryside, Stanley House is a hotel like no other. Located in the Lancashire village of Mellor (in between Preston and Blackburn) this 17th Century country house has been transformed into a stunning, award-winning hotel with individually designed bedrooms.
The hotel boasts unrivalled wedding and conference facilities, the stylish Grill on the Hill restaurant and the hugely popular Mr Fred's bar and lounge.
In 2012, Stanley House Hotel completed a multi-million pound expansion which includes a luxury spa and the addition of 18 new bedrooms.
The luxury spa incorporates the very latest treatment facilities including five treatment rooms, a double treatment room with rasul, salt and aroma steam rooms, Finnish sauna, hydrotherapy pool, relaxation lounge, experience showers and an ice fountain. The facility will also feature a new gym and a Pilates studio.