Sponsorship coup for free-range egg producer
ACORNISH egg producer has revealed that it is the new sponsor of arguably one of the world’s most prestigious cooking competitions.
St Ewe Free Range Eggs is embarking on an exciting threeyear sponsorship journey with the Roux Scholarship, enabling a new generation of British chefs to train in some of the greatest restaurants around the globe. Since it was established in 1983 by Michel Roux OBE and his brother, Albert, and now run by their sons Alain and Michel Roux Jnr, the competition has seen many scholars go on to win Michelin stars themselves.
Entries are now open for the Roux Scholarship 2023, which sees some of the most dramatic developments in the competition since its history.
These include a new option for the star prize, a new-look final recipe challenge, and the publication of a white paper about female chefs and the Roux Scholarship. Aspiring chefs are being invited to create recipes using a delicious range of ingredients, including St Ewe’s acclaimed Rich Yolk eggs.
St Ewe has also come a long way since packing their first egg in 1982. Founded by the Tonks family and based in Tregony, near Truro, the business has been showered with numerous accolades over the last four decades, including most recently Poultry Farmer of the Year at the Farmers Weekly Awards 2022 and Egg Packer of the Year at the National Egg and Poultry Awards 2022.
Rebecca Tonks, chief executive of St Ewe Free Range Eggs, said: “The best chefs in the world need to use the best eggs in the world. That’s why we are absolutely ‘eggstatic’ to announce that St Ewe Free Range Eggs will be one of the main sponsors for the prestigious Roux Scholarship over the next three years.
“We cannot wait to see how the competition unfolds and wish all the chefs the best of luck. We hope you love our Rich Yolk as much as we do!”
Developed for chefs and foodies with the help of local Michelin star chef, Chris Eden, St Ewe says its Rich Yolk eggs have rich, delicious-tasting, deep orange yolks, giving cakes, pasta and patisserie a showstopping look.
The new-look Roux Scholarship national final will test the six finalists’ skills in a different way. Rather than preparing a classic French dish inspired by such chefs as Auguste Escoffier and Marie-Antoine Carême, the chefs will be asked to prepare a key ingredient in their own vision.
This product will be chosen from the UK’s incredible range of produce and will be served with accompaniments drawn from a set list of other ingredients. The finalists will be expected to draw on their classic French cuisine skill set, but judges will be looking for how they bring their own interpretation to the dish.
Michel Roux Jnr, joint chairman of the Roux Scholarship, said: “I am thrilled to be launching the new-look Roux Scholarship with a new star prize option offering a flexible bespoke educational program.
“The final cook off itself has also been tweaked to reflect today’s cooking styles whilst keeping classic technique at its heart.”
The deadline for applications is January 31, 2023. Regional finalists will then compete at University College Birmingham and University of West London on March 9, with the six shortlisted national finalists going on to cook at Westminster Kingsway College on April 3.
‘The best chefs in the world need to use the best eggs in the world’
REBECCA TONKS