Again, The Dorchester was the venue for the Bailliage’s annual Young Professionals’ Awards Dinner. The team really did us proud with effortless organization and service, together with a superb dinner. Guests from the Press, our partners and supporters of all of the competitors joined together with members in an exciting evening.

The 2019 winner of our National Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition was Jordon Powell from South Lodge Hotel in Horsham (Bailliage of Sussex). The hotel has a great track record of mentoring young staff with three winners of this competition in recent years. Runner-up was Ben Emmerson from Mosimann’s in London and in Third Place was Ben Whyte from The Priory Hotel in Wareham (Bailliage of Wessex).

Dinner started with Cornish brown crab salad matched with Sauska ‘Cuvee 113’ (Hungary). This was followed by a completely unctuous chicken, wild mushroom and black truffle ravioli partnered with Castello della Sala San Giovanni Orvieto (Italy).

The Miso-glazed turbot that followed wowed the diners. It was accompanied by a beautifully soft Chardonnay from Woodlands in Margaret River, Western Australia.

Meat lovers were then treated to a 60-day Himalayan salt-aged fillet of beef together with Masi Tupungato Passo Doble from Argentina.

The 2019 winner of our National Jeunes Sommeliers Competition was Matteo Montone from Edition Hotel in London. Runner-up was Salvatore Castano from Mash, also in London and in Third Place came Paul Robineau from Moor Hall near Liverpool (Bailliage of Cheshire).

Then something new for these events was the awarding of the Gérard Basset Tasting Trophy. Gérard was known throughout Britain as the Sommelier’s Sommelier. For many years he was both Échanson and Chairman of Judges for the National Competition. He was known for his compendious knowledge, wonderful tasting ability and skilful mentoring of very many young sommeliers.

This trophy will be awarded to the competitor in the Jeunes Sommeliers Competition attaining the highest score in the blind tasting and food-matching section of the competition. We were all delighted that his widow, Nina Basset, together with son Romané, was with us to present the inaugural trophy to a very worthy Paul Flauvel of the Lanesborough Hotel (Bailliage of London City). Paul is the first competitor in the history of the competition to identify all the wines correctly. Bravo!

Both competition winners will have a mentoring programme to help them prepare to represent the Bailliage of Great Britain in the International Finals in September: in Calgary for the Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs and in Seoul for the Jeunes Sommeliers.

Finally, a fun raffle to raise funds for The Clink was well supported and soon after, as the clock approached midnight, an appreciative crowd dispersed. The Chaîne at its best!

Philip Evins
Bailli Délégué

Photos courtesy of Keith Meadley Photography