National pride will be at stake when a talented chef from Llanidnam will be part of the Culinary Team Wales to take on rivals England and Scotland in the Battle of the Dragon contest next week.
Mike Ramsden, who works for Cambrian Training Company and lives in Llandinam, will be part of the team in a special year for all three national teams as they build towards the Culinary Olympics, the premier global event for chefs, in Germany in October.
The Battle for the Dragon contest is one of the showpiece events at the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) at Coleg Llandrillo, Rhos-on-Sea, Colwyn Bay from February 15 to 18.
The Wales team is managed by Peter Fuchs, culinary director at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, which also contributes two members in Karl Jones-Hughes, executive pastry chef and Simon Crockford, head chef.
The other team members are Hefin Roberts, head chef at Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn, Beaumaris, Kieran Harry, a freelance chef and Michael Ramsden, training officer with Cambrian Training Company, Welshpool.
Each team has to cook a three course menu for 85 diners, with Wales leading off on Tuesday, February 16, followed by England on Wednesday and Scotland on Thursday.
The teams’ dishes and cooking skills will be closely examined by a panel of experienced international judges, who will announce the Battle for the Dragon winners at the WICC Awards dinner at Llandudno Bay Hotel on Thursday night.
Wales will serve up a starter of air dried ham wrapped monkfish, smoked haddock kiev with chilli and laverbread, butter parsley and bone marrow custard, beetroot and walnut soil, horseradish mousse and pickled apple.
Main course is roasted Welsh Lamb rump with toasted barley and thyme leek, potato and lamb pastry, glazed vegetables and craft beer jus. Dessert is chocolate, raspberry and coconut dark chocolate and ginger cake truffle, coconut mallow, iced raspberry air warm raspberry sponge and caramel wafer.
Around 300 competitors are expected to attend the WICC. Organised by the CAW, the WICC has Food and Drink Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government’s department representing the food and drink industry, as its main sponsor.
In addition to the Battle for the Dragon contest, the WICC also features the Junior Chef of Wales and Skills Competition Wales professional cookery finals on Monday, February 15 and the National Chef of Wales final on Thursday, February 18.
The growing popularity of baking, sugarcraft and cake decorating is reflected in the Cake Cymru show, with entries expected from across Wales and England for the show.
There will be a live web stream of the WICC at www.gllm.ac.uk/welshfood and viewers can also follow the action on the CAW’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Culinary-Association-of-Wales-Cymdeithas-Coginiol-Cymru-233215000086016/ on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WELSHCHEFS and http://welshculinarychampionships.tweetwally.com/ and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCljjcHbTK-fz2ZdtgsxGNVQ
Photo: Mike Ramadan of Llandinam
