Barney and I were invited to Kendal College when they hosted the Visionary Dining Chef of the Year 2011 Competition.

Ten chefs and their mentors went head to head in a seven-hour, eleven-course gastronomical marathon that pushed the chefs(including ex-Gilpinite Steve Smith) to the limit. The event featured was supported by Kendal College’s hospitality and catering students, including our very own Lucy Tonkin.

During the evening a charity raffle was held to raise £3,400 for Hospitality in Action, a fabulous charity which works specifically with hospitality professionals in crisis (click  to see their brilliant campaign featuring chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Marco Pierre White).

At midnight Rohan Nevins (Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel) and Aiden Byrne (Church Green) were crowned champions, their trophies presented by Monica Galetti from BBC show Master Chefs the Professionals.

For full details of the evening see Michael Wignall’s summary , visionarydining.com’s video  and CumbriaFoodie’s fabulous blog with photos of each dish (including the image you see above this article).

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About the author

Zoe Cunliffe
Zoë Cunliffe joined with husband Barney in 2001. She has worked through the departments as a sort of family apprentice, and has also added the 6th and 7th 'C's to the Relais & Châteaux 5C philosophy - Chat & Cuddle.