Krishan Makol, 1st year apprentice at Lexington Catering working at Thomas Miller, Fenchurch Street, was chosen after a hard fought culinary battle against several other talented young performers at the NEC, Birmingham.

He cooked a Saffron Rice Kedgeree with a soft boiled Legbar egg and curry sauce, using Tilda Original Pure Basmati rice.

The competition was staged in partnership with the Craft Guild of Chefs as part of Live Theatre, the live competition element of Salon Culinaire at The Hospitality Show.

Steve Munkley, Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs and Head Judge, said: “The quality of the competitors was very high and the judges were really impressed by their cleanliness and efforts against the clock, which is always a challenge, even for experienced chefs.

“Krishan was the clear winner; the flavours of his dish were just fantastic, he really encapsulated what the dish was about and ticked all the boxes for all the judges – it was a unanimous decision.”

Competitors were given just 30 minutes to prepare, cook and present two portions of a main course using Tilda rice as the base ingredient. They could choose any style of rice from an extensive Tilda selection: Easy Cook Basmati, Brown Basmati, Fragrant Jasmine, Arborio Risotto, Original Pure Basmati and Basmati & Wild.

Mark Lyddy, Head of Tilda Foodservice said: “Congratulations to Krishan, he managed to really impress the judges in terms of the quality of his dish and the way he used Tilda rice to complement its culinary appeal.

“I would also like to thank everybody who took part for their commitment, passion and creativity in terms of rice. It is great to see that the talent and skills of young chefs remains at a very high level which is a positive sign for the industry going forward.”

Tilda Young Chef of the Year 2015 was open to chefs aged 21 or under on or before 1st January 2015. The judging panel included previous Tilda Chef of the Year, Danny Leung.

In addition to the prestige associated with the award, Krishan received a medal, framed certificate and a commemorative plate plus automatic entry into Tilda Chef of the Year – the senior competition – which will take place at next year’s Salon Culinaire at Hotelympia. He also received a trophy and a Red Letter Days voucher worth £150.