Teen crowned top young chef in county with duck dish

Lexie's, second from the right, duck dish earned her the crown of best young chef in the county

Not every teenager can rustle up a plate of pan-seared duck breast in a red wine reduction.

But that is exactly what 14-year old Lexie from Gloucester did. And it won her the title of Gloucestershire Young Chef of the Year.

Lexie will now compete against the winners of the five other county competitions, vying to be declared the South West Junior Chef of the Year on 5 October.

"Winning is such an achievement for me mentally and it will help continue to push me on in my passion for the art of food," she said.

She beat four other finalists to the crown, all aged between 11 to15 years old.

Her dedication to cooking was inspired by spending time in the kitchen with her grandmother.

"At a young age I always had a passion for food, which mainly started with baking with my nan.

"As I got older this developed into cooking where I became more interested in making dishes with all different flavours and textures," she added.

Co-founder of the competition and chef Michael Caines MBE said: "This was a very competitive final, with some excellent dishes produced using regional ingredients.

"The judges were particularly impressed with Lexie’s cooking and the delicious duck dish she created."

The event, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, was judged by Ed Marsh, head chef at The Manor House Hotel, Castle Combe, Nathan Johnson, junior sous chef at The Royal Crescent Hotel Bath and Kirk Williams, chef lecturer, Bath College.

Lexie will now be mentored by Mr Johnson, who won the accolade of South West Chef of the Year in 2022.

The winner of this year's regional competition will be offered an opportunity to gain work experience with Michelin-starred Chef David Everitt-Matthias at his Le Champignon Sauvage restaurant in Cheltenham.