Tom Barnes Wins the Roux Scholarship 2014

Tom Barnes, Sous Chef at Simon Rogan’s two-Michelin-starred L’Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria, has won the 2014 Roux Scholarship. He beat five other finalists who all prepared ‘Chartreuse of quail and sweetbreads with grape sauce’ at a cook-off held at Westminster Kingsway, London on Monday 14 April.

Tom, who was a finalist in last year’s competition, was battling it out against fellow chefs Scott Dineen, Goldman Sachs (Baxterstorey), London, Sabrina Gidda, AIG Group (Restaurant Associates), London, Richard Pascoe, Oulton Hall, (De Vere Hotels) West Yorkshire, David Salt, BNY Mellon (Restaurant Associates), London, David White, Barclays Wealth (ISS), London.

Commenting on Tom’s win, Michel Roux Sr said: “It is great to see a repeat finalist and that he had enough guts to enter, and not only to enter but he won hands down. A wonderful piece of work – clean, beautifully seasoned. When you have been to the final before it can work for or against you. You can think to yourself ‘what am I doing here again?’ or you can just go there and tell yourself ‘this time it’s going to be mine’. He did what he knew in his mind he wanted to do.”

Speaking at the awards ceremony at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, London Tom said: “Although I’d made the final last year, this year was harder, there was a big time pressure and I was still very nervous. It wasn’t any easier second time around, as you don’t know what you’re going to get to cook. L’Enclume staff have been very supportive and helped me practice dishes, but I hadn’t cooked this before.”

The young chefs had two and three-quarter hours to cook the Escoffier inspired recipe in front of the judges. Joining the Roux family this year were Brian Turner CBE, Gary Rhodes OBE, David Nicholls, James Martin, Andrew Fairlie and Angela Hartnett.

Tom receives £5,000, courtesy of the Savoy Educational Trust, to support his development and an invitation to cook and train under the supervision of a leading chef at a prestigious 3-star Michelin restaurant anywhere in the world for up to three months.