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Michelin-starred Leamington chef scoops culinary title

A Michelin-starred chef from Leamington has cooked his way to success after scooping a much-coveted culinary trophy – with the help of his star teenage apprentice.

Simon Haigh was named winner at this year’s Battle of Eden at a black-tie event at Mallory Court Hotel and Spa on Harbury Lane, Leamington, on Saturday November 12.

Haigh, who is Chef Director at Mallory, went head-to-head with four other chefs from hotels across The Eden Hotel Collection in a themed cook-off showcasing the best of British cuisine.

Each chef created a dish from a five-course menu which was judged blind by more than 150 guests, with his winning dish produced and designed alongside 18-year-old apprentice Sam Bennett, from Bishop’s Tachbrook.

The dish was a hand dived scallop with garden salad, goat’s curd, truffled honey, seeds and grains, which celebrated the British country garden and was largely grown within the hotel’s Kitchen Garden or sourced sustainably.

Haigh returned to Mallory as Chef Director in 2021, 20 years after garnering a Michelin star for the restaurant in 2001 which it held for a decade.

He said: “It’s great to have won, especially given the quality from the other chefs this year.

“The dish is one I am really proud of as it sources most of the produce from our own gardens, meaning zero food miles or packaging which is a huge part of our ethos here at Mallory. Sam was a great input in this dish, so I’d like to say well done to him too.”

The popular gastronomic title is one of The Eden Hotel Collection’s most anticipated annual events and returned for the first time in five years, bringing together some of the country’s top chefs to Warwickshire.

Mark Chambers, Group Managing Director at The Eden Hotel Collection, said: “There were some truly exquisite entries from the chefs this year, but I would like to say a big congratulations to Simon and Sam for their winning dish, which not only celebrated the best of British, but also demonstrated commitment to sustainable produce and developing local new talent.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .