St Albans sous chef named Young Master Chef of the Year 2016

A keen chef who has hopes of eventually opening his own restaurant clearly has plenty of zest when it comes to creating fine food dishes.

Harry Lumsdon, 21, a junior sous chef at St Michael’s Manor Hotel, in Fishpool Street, St Albans, has been named Young Master Chef of the Year after battling against eight other chefs in a cook-off at Westminster Kingsway, a catering college in London.

The event was organised by the Master Chefs of Great Britain association, which was formed in 1980 and regularly holds contests that recognise great chefs.

The competition is open to chefs under the age of 23 and requires participants to produce a three-course meal using a number of set ingredients within two-and-a-half-hours. Salmon was the main ingredient for the starter, followed by lamb shank for the main and any dessert of their choice.

Harry, a former Verulam School pupil, said his passion for cooking started after his brother, who is also a chef, asked him to help him wash dishes at work.

He said: “I kind of fell in love with it and then I told the school that I didn’t want to go to sixth form.”

Harry added that he had not expected to win and only entered the event to gain some experience.

He continued: “I don’t think it hit me, I kind of just shook everyone’s hand and I didn’t think I was going to win.

“I went for the experience and I would have been happy leaving with the experience; I still don’t think it has hit me.”

Harry plans to enter other cooking competitions after Christmas and is keen to open his own restaurant within the next 15 years.