I started with nuggets and pizza and now want Michelin star restaurant in Liverpool, says Roux award chef

A Merseyside chef has made it through to the regional finals of a prestigious competition to find Britain’s best young cooks.

Dubbed the 'holy grail' of the food industry, the Roux Scholarship offers budding chefs the chance to kick-start their careers, with many past winners going on to open Michelin Star restaurants. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the competition will see 18 finalists compete in two regional finals, including Bootle-born, Adam Jones, before the grand final later this year.

A successful Sous Chef at Rudding Park Hotel in Harrogate, Adam attended both Savio Salesian College in Netherton and South Sefton Sixth Form College, and went on to study Law at Leeds University before becoming a chef.

Speaking to LiverpoolWorld, the 28-year-old shared how he went from an 'incredibly fussy eater' as a child, to becoming passionate about all things food. "My diet predominantly consisted of chicken nuggets and pizza and whilst they still play a crucial part in my diet I have certainly diversified. I first started cooking in order to get my cooking badge in the Scouts and whilst I didn't particularly enjoy eating the resulting food I enjoyed the process," he said.

"I then did Food Tech at Savio for GCSE and really loved it - whilst most people took it as an option to try and mess around in class I tried hard to do well. When I moved to Leeds for University and had a bit more independence, I was more and more willing to try new things and it really opened my eyes."

Discovering the joy in finding new meals to cook and sharing his creations with his housemates at university, Adam realised he could have a career in the food industry. He explained: "It probably dawned on me after second year of university that I no longer wanted to pursue a career in law - but why get into all that debt and not get the piece of paper and a picture in a silly hat at the end?

"There is a TV show called Great British Menu which each year I loved watching and I recalled there being a bit of a maverick chef called Michael O’Hare who had a restaurant, The Man Behind The Curtain, in Leeds so I booked a table for my girlfriend and I for Valentines in final year. I was so blown away - I couldn’t even figure out how food could be so delicious and playful."

Inspired by what he had seen, Adam sent an email to The Man Behind The Curtain's head chef, Adam Rasburn, asking if he could go and stand in the kitchen, whilst on Easter break, and see how a professional kitchen worked. Incredibly, Adam was invited to stagiaire (or train) with the restaurant for a two week period.

"To say it opened my eyes and blew my mind is an understatement - the level of skill, professionalism and camaraderie just cemented the idea that this was what I wanted to do as a career. I continued to stagiaire with the team on my days off and evenings after university until graduation at which point Michael was generous enough to offer me a job as a chef there," Adam recalled.

Despite being just 22-years-old, Adam noted feeling behind the other chefs - who had been properly cooking since catering college at 16 or gone straight into kitchens after school - but that didn't stop him. He said: "I made sure every minute of free time was spent reading about techniques, restaurants, recipes, chefs and was fortunate enough to get a reservation at Osteria Francsecana in Modena, Italy, which at the time had been voted best restaurant in the world.

"Most people, not into cooking, thought I was crazy to travel so far and spend so much for 'just a meal' but for me it was a privilege and another life changing moment - my first three Michelin starred meal."

Beginning an impressive career, Adam soon followed his first head chef to a restaurant in Leeds called HOME then worked at Owl, Horto and helped open the Six by Nico in Leeds. Now back at Horto as a sous chef, Adam finally decided to apply to the Roux Scholarship.

He said: "My first head chef Adam Rasburn twice made it to the regional finals and has constantly pestered me to apply each year. As you can only apply until you turn 30, and that is scarily approaching, I finally gave in. I am only able to apply this year and next year so I set myself the goal that over the two possible chances I’d love to make it to the regional finals and cook for the judges." Adam said progressing any further in the contest would be a 'welcome bonus'.

He continued: "I was incredibly nervous after the initial entry and it felt like forever between submitting the entry and getting the news I’d made it through. I can’t tell you for certain how many applied but getting to the final 18 is an incredible feeling - especially given the calibre of chefs in the competition this year and those who have been in in the past."

Managing to achieve his goal of making it to the regionals, Adam will cook for Michel Roux Jr, Angela Hartnett, Sat Bains and Simon Hulstone.

He said: "Anything else is a bonus. Of course the winning prize (amongst other things - a stagiaire at any restaurant in the world organised and expenses paid by the Roux Scholarship) is something which I’ve thought about but I don’t want to get too ahead of myself. If I get through this round into the final six I will certainly be spending a lot of time reading, studying and cooking between then and the final."

Fourteen of the 18 chefs who made it through to the regional finals, including Adam, are new to the competition and all of the finalists were selected from their written recipes that had to use one short loin of free-range gilt pork, two fresh pork kidneys, crackling and sweet potatoes. They were submitted anonymously to the judges, who took part in the Recipe Judging day at The Waterside Inn on February 21.

They will compete in two regional finals which will be held simultaneously on Thursday, March 7 at University College Birmingham and University of West London, Ealing.

Noting some of his inspirations as Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White and the chefs he has worked with, Adam said: "I have to give a special mention to Adam Rasburn for giving me a chance all that time ago. He could’ve hired a chef with all the necessary experience but instead he gave me a shot and I hope I can make him proud. Also Adam Degg, my current head chef, who has been a constant source of support and knowledge since we started working together."

"Clearly I only work with Adams," he joked. Feeling hopeful about the future, Adam says he would love to open his own small restaurant, with a small number of tables surrounding the kitchen, providing theatre for the customers. "Before that though I really want to get out there more and do more stagiaires at restaurants which inspire me - it was a stagiaire that started my career and I think it will continue to play a massive part going forward," he noted.

Asked where he would open his dream restaurant, Adam said: "The temptation is there to say Liverpool. It’s where I grew up, and where my family still are. There’s never been a Michelin starred restaurant in Liverpool and that would be a feat above any other in my career if I were to open a restaurant in Liverpool and achieve that.

"There’s an incredible food scene in Liverpool and each time I return to visit I’m spoiled for choice - wouldn’t it be quite something if people could say that and be talking about my restaurant."

Adam will compete at the regional finals in Birmingham on Thursday March 7. The final six will compete at the Alain Roux Culinary School at The Waterside Inn on April 8 for the chance to be named the new Roux Scholar.