National pride at stake for local chef

A Llanidloes chef is a part of the Wales Culinary Team taking on the best of British this week.

 

Nick Davies, a director of Cambrian Training Company in Welshpool, joins his colleagues in taking on their counterparts from England and Scotland at Hospitality, a major show held at the NEC Birmingham, from today (Monday) to Wednesday.

 

Having locked horns with their rivals at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg last November, the Welsh chefs are eager to prove a point after England narrowly finished ahead of them. Both countries each won gold and silver medals, while Scotland bagged a brace of silvers.

 

Welsh team manager Graham Tinsley, executive chef at Carden Park Country Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa near Chester, is keen to reverse the positions in the hot kitchen contest.

 

“There is no bigger rivalry than competing against England and Scotland because national pride is at stake,” he said. “England has only just come back on the scene, having been away for a long time. There is no doubt going to be a bit of rivalry with the English chefs and it has added extra spice to the international recipe.”

 

The Welsh team shows three changes to their Culinary World Cup line up as they draft in Chris Owen from the Castle Hotel, Conwy, Dion Jones from at Carden Park Country Hotel, Golf Resort and Spa and Brian Henry, cluster director of food and beverage for the Millennium Gloucester and Baileys Hotels as well as the Millennium Conference Centre in London. They join Nick Davies, a director of Cambrian Training Company, Welshpool, Toby Beevers, executive chef at Chester University and David Kelman from Cheltenham.

 

The three teams are challenged to cook a three course meal for 100 people in five hours, with England competing on Monday, Scotland on Tuesday and Wales on Wednesday.

 

The Welsh National Culinary Team is sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government, C&C Catering Equipment Ltd, Brakes, Unilever Foodsolutions UK, Hybu Cig Cymru/ Meat Promotion Wales, Gourmet Classic Ltd, Villeroy and Boch, Friedr. Dick, Germany, Metcalfe Catering, All Clad, S. A. Brain and Co and Callebaut.