Great British Chefs

One of the great things about the Great British Chefs website is the great recipes by the great British chefs that feature great eggs! I'm a regular follower and love the great information, recipes and competitions contained within, and there's even a great section for kids plus some great food related Apps!

OK that's probably way too many greats in one sentence, however it is a wonderful one-stop shop for foodies and chefs alike and includes a fantastic selection of product and restaurant recommends. Not only that there's a marvelous How To Cook section with insights into techniques for cooks of all levels - ideal for anyone thinking of entering a recipe for The Egg Award 2014!

With The Egg Award 2014 due to start on June 1st it's no surprise my attention was drawn to the recipe on the Great British Chefs website for Sauté of Jersey Royals with fried duck egg and griddled asparagus and Parmesan by Michelin starred chef Shaun Rankin.

This is a great potato recipe for spring, when both Jersey Royals and asparagus are in season. The fresh flavours and vibrant colours in this starter herald the warmer days and lighter meals to come. If you are preparing this salad for a vegetarian, replace the Parmesan with a different cheese that is free of animal rennet, just ask your cheesemonger for suggestions.

Chef

Shaun Rankin

Ingredients:

Salad

225g of Jersey Royal potatoes, cooked and halved
16 asparagus spears
4 duck eggs
1 knob of butter
olive oil
salt
black pepper
To serve
1 handful of rocket
1 handful of Parmesan shavings
1 dash of balsamic vinegar

1.

Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the potatoes until golden brown. Keep warm

2.

Snap off the woody bottoms of the asparagus. Heat a griddle pan with a little olive oil. Add the asparagus, season with salt and pepper and keep the asparagus moving until cooked

3.

Test with a small knife, they should still have a slight crunch

4.

To cook the duck eggs, heat up a frying pan add a little more olive oil. Crack the eggs into the pan being careful not to break the yolks - you want to savour all that egg yolk to dip your asparagus in

5.

Cook until the whites are opaque but the yolk is still runny. Add a knob of butter to the pan and season

6.

To serve, arrange the tips of asparagus on a plate and place the duck eggs on top. Scatter over the Jersey Royals, rocket and Parmesan shavings. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar

The Egg Award 2014

Dani Garcia

After the success of The Egg Award 2013 which was won by 2 Michelin Star chef Dani Garcia from Spain, it's nearly time to kick off The Egg Award 2014!

The competition will again be run online using Twitter.

 The Egg Award was borne out of food blogger @justlovefood's community love for local egg farmers and producers to promote the difference in flavour between a freshly laid organic egg and a commercially produced product.  So no matter whether it's a large farm or a local neighbour whose hens lays fresh eggs every day, as long as they're fresh organic eggs and not supermarket bought it's time to get cooking!

Last years winning entry

Professional chefs entering will be encouraged to serve their egg recipe using their locally sourced eggs in their cafe/pub/restaurant and promote it as they see fit.  The Egg Award will promote them on Twitter using the hashtag #BestEggyChefRecipe


Home cooks and food bloggers will use the hashtag #BestEggyHomeRecip






Keep your eyes open for The Egg Award attempt at making the worlds biggest Scotch Egg with Jon Fell...




Conditions for entering a recipe:



Your egg recipe will have to use locally sourced eggs.  

When submitting please add: 

1: Where the eggs come from. 
2: Who is producing them and their ethos. 
3: A photo of the farm, the birds or the eggs.

You'll need to add: 
1: A list of ingredients. 
2: The method. 
3: A photo of the finished dish.



Here's a link to one of last years entries by Food Blogger Ann Allchin to give you an idea of what's eggspected - Duck Eggs in Prosciutto Baskets 

Send your entry by email to..... 

TheEggAward@mail.com

All entries will be published on this blog and promoted on Twitter.

Closing Date 18th December 2014.




The Prizes:

Prizes this year will include 2 Polyscience Smoking Guns donated by sousvidetools.com who are the UK's leading supplier of sous vide and vacuum packing equipment. 

Based in the North West of England they are a family run business that distributes all over the UK, Ireland and Europe to aspirational chefs and foodies who enjoy cooking, who strive for consistency and accuracy whilst always looking to further refine their cooking skills.

At sousvidetools.com their portfolio of products offers everything you would need for sous vide cooking commercially or domestically, from sous vide water baths, thermal circulators, vacuum sealers, vacuum packing machines and vacuum pouches.





Great news for chefs entering this year as I.O.Shen Knifes Mastergrade Knives are putting up as a prize for the professionals, the choice of any knife in their prestigious range! I.O.Shen Knives have just been voted top choice in Take Stock Magazine and it's no surprise as  after their launch in 2004,they are now established as a firm favourite with chefs and budding amateurs alike.

With some wonderful testimonials and amazing Press and TV coverage – you are sure to find the right knife for the job. We were once hailed in one of the Sunday tabloids for being “The Luke Skywalker light sabre of chef’s knives”.

In 2007, I.O.Shen won the converted Excellence in Housewares Award (equivalent to an industry Oscar!) and we were finalists again in 2011.

The range was voted for by a panel of experts who recognised that the combination of an amazing cutting edge, a uniquely designed handle and astonishing price points could only mean that I.O.Shen was a force to be reckoned with!

Home cooks this year will be competing for prizes that include Mason Cash mixing bowls and their new range of Hen's Nests. Mason Cash have been producing beautiful, functional, iconic kitchenware for over 200 years. 

Famed for classic kitchenware designs such as the Mason Cash mixing bowl and pudding basins, the products and brand have endured the test of time and have become design icons. In fact, some designs have barely altered for over a hundred years.

Mason Cash are committed to upholding their fine tradition of producing the highest quality products that combine functional benefits with beautiful aesthetics, giving each consumer an ever-lasting experience. it is no wonder that Mason Cash is, and always has been the choice of the home cook and baker.






Another addition to our growing list of prizes is this Fine Art print by Jennifer Copley-May, 'Gull On A Boat'.


The print has been donated by Armadillo Central who publish original writing alongside fine art and photography.

They are independent publishers of new fiction, poetry and non-fiction, showcasing the best writing alongside original and limited edition art and photography, most of which is exclusive to them.  They ship worldwide.  Prices convert to local currency as you purchase.  

To keep up to date with latest news, special offers, new products and other events join their mailing list.

Jennifer Copley-May's Gull On Boat is one of Armadillo Central's most popular prints and comes in two sizes. Bearing in mind that last year's Egg Awards prize was sent to Spain - to 2 Michelin Star chef Dani Garcia no less - they're keeping it simple and offering the A4 version, easy to post and frame.

This is no ordinary seagull - it was captured in paint in Brighton by Jennifer Copley-May and is reproduced here as a high quality Giclée print on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper, professionally printed using archival inks.

The Judging:

Recipes will be judged on the ethos of the egg sourced and creative use of the egg.



Final date for entries is the 30th September 2014 and the winner will be announced 14th October 2014.



The Egg Award Organiser...

About Just Love Food


The Egg Award started last year after and idea by Justlovefood blog which was founded by partners Chef / Fashion Designer Claudia Escobar and Environmentalist / Fisherman Cliff Norman, from Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland.  They recently opened their first 'Country Style Kitchen' cooking wild produce with love and it was a great pop-up experience.

Ralph had a word with Claudia before last year's Egg Award about their plans - 

Claudia: "Our aim was to cook Scottish produce in a country camping style with the best we could get our hands on,so we dished out wild birds,line caught fish by us,foraged plants and molluscs and were honored to work with local butchers and bread makers in Leith."

They also run a recipe blog, with unique recipes developed by them.  They're now  focusing on private catering, the pop- up kitchen, food festivals and fairs.  As if that wasn't enough they also go foraging, fishing and work on menu design. They're also on the hunt for cool premises to set up a social enterprise kitchen open to the whole community to participate and make great food!

 "We are very focused about community projects where we can add value,give and share what we know with others."

The Egg Award 2014 Judges...

The Egg Award is pleased to welcome back Alec Tomasso to the judging panel. Since last year the former Master Chef contestant has finally taken the plunge and given up his engineering career, and having parted ways with The Cheese Kitchen after a brief but successful time, he now looks after his twin daughters, and has newly set up a private catering service The Weeping Chef whilst still managing to spend time in Michelin kitchens.

Egg Award 2014 judge Hugh McGivern is a seasoned chef with 30 years international experience catering to an eclectic mix of people. He spent his early years in Glasgow serving a classic apprenticeship before embarking on the Army, on leaving the Army he ventured to America where he worked as a food manager on the cruise ships. Catering to various VIPs including His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson when he stays in the UK. An advocate of Future Chefs he has undertaken mentoring to students for Springboard and judging at their annual awards ceremony. With his foodie pedigree we're delighted that he's agreed to join The Egg Award judging panel.





We're delighted to welcome The Egg Award 2013 Runner Up Tony Singh to The Egg Award 2014 Judging Panel. He's one of the absolute characters of the foodie world appearing on numerous TV food programmes. His new cookery book Tasty has just been released to much critical acclaim and he's recently taken over the reigns of a new restaurant Edinburgh. 

As one half of BBC2’s culinary duo, The Incredible Spice Men, award winning Tony Singh brings a unique blend of Sikh tradition and fresh British produce to his cooking. Born and bred in Leith, Tony’s fusion of global influences come together to create food which truly knows no boundaries. 






In-keeping with The Egg Award 2014 ethos the first of this years competition judges to be announced is Jon-Robert Fell whose passion for fresh local ingredients, especially in his adopted home county of Cumbria, is legendary.  Jon- Robert Fell is head chef at the stunning Sella Park Country House Hotel which is set in 6 acres of beautiful gardens next to the River Calder.

He is also a presenter on the YouTube food channel The Fat Chat Show which features the people behind the businesses that make Cumbria buzz. Whilst he's committed to all fresh Cumbrian produce, seafood cookery is his absolute passion and he's currently working on his first seafood cookbook.