With a promising future ahead, a budding young chef from Gloucestershire has claimed top prize in the 2024 South West Chef of the Year competition.
Lexie Colley, took home the title of Junior Chef of the Year after beating six other young cooks from across the region.
At just 14-years-old, Lexie will now have the tremendously sought-after opportunity of working alongside Michelin-starred Cheltenham chef, David Everitt-Matthias at his restaurant, Le Champignon Sauvage in the Suffolks.
Lexie took the win with her dish of pan-seared duck breast with a red wine jus, with the judges being blown away by her creativity during the final at Exeter College — after a number of heats at county level with each chef being partnered with an experienced chef for support and advice.
This year's competition was its 20th edition, and its founder, chef Michael Caines MBE DL, was on-site at the contest in Exeter to help judge the entries while also continuing to promote and showcase the south west's hospitality sector.
Michael said: 'The judges were so impressed and commented that many of the dishes wouldn’t have looked out of place in the student or even professional competitions.
'It was a tough decision, but in the end, Lexie was selected as the winner for her creative use of regional ingredients to produce a skilfully accomplished dish.'
Gloucestershire was further represented at the competition with Wyn Jones from Calcot & Spa in Tetbury appearing as a finalist in the Professional Chef category.
Lexie will be presented with her award at a ceremonial dinner in Exeter at the end of October.
