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Young Seafood Chef of the Year
03/07/2009
The winner of the Young Scottish Seafood Chef of the Year competition has been announced.
Craig McKenzie (18) from the Milton Restaurant, Banchory, beat five other finalists to claim the title.
Craig said:
"I am thrilled to win the competition because I love creating dishes with seafood, which is so versatile."
His winning dishes were crab bisque with megrim and langoustine tortellini, and smoked Scottish hake, soft polenta with bacon, razor clams and a poached duck egg. 
Craig received a specially commissioned trophy, a bottle of champagne, a week's work experience with seafood chef Roy Brett, and the opportunity to cook a meal for the First Minister and guests at a seafood celebration dinner.
The panel of judges, headed by Kevin MacGillivray, President of the Federation of Chefs Scotland, and Vice President Ian MacDonald, also included Roy Brett, and Neil Ritchie from the Food & Drink Division of Scottish Government.
The competition was launched in May as part of a wider package of measures designed to encourage greater consumption of Scottish seafood, with key messages including Healthy Eating, Sustainable Supply, Responsible Fishing and Provenance.
For the final, the six chefs cooked a seafood starter and main course dish using species chosen from a list of Scottish seafood that included hake, megrim, razor clams and herring, as well as favourites such as crab, scallops and langoustines.
The judges looked for competitors to show imagination in their choice of recipe ingredients, for use of seasonal Scottish produce, and for skill in preparation, cooking and presentation.
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:
"I'd like to congratulate all of the finalists on getting this far and for showing that Scottish seafood can form the basis of so many exciting dishes. I hope the recipes will inspire others to eat more fish - it's healthy, tasty, sustainable and a great way to support our fishermen.
"Special congratulations to Craig McKenzie. He is a worthy winner and I'm sure the First Minister and his guests are in for a real treat when Craig cooks for them.
"The quality of the entries in this competition, particularly from the six finalists, demonstrates the energy, enthusiasm and skill which exists among the many young people working in our catering industry. It is heartening to see and suggests a bright future for them and for our national food and drink policy."
Sarah Holmyard, Marketing Executive with Seafood Scotland said:
"We are delighted that Craig is our Seafood Chef of the Year and hope to include him in other activities over the coming months to promote the quality and variety of Scottish seafood".
Seafood Scotland works throughout the supply chain to promote, market and develop responsibly and sustainably caught Scottish seafood. Seafood Scotland is the delivery partner for Seafish in Scotland.