Keith Tayler, head chef at Warwick Conferences’ Scarman venue, has been crowned this year’s Conference Centre of Excellence Chef’s Challenge champion. Keith was declared the winner of the coveted Gold medal for overall menu, as well as picking up awards for both his starter and main course.

The CCE Chefs’ Challenge final saw the top 10 chefs put their skills to the test to produce a three-course fine dining menu in accordance with certain criteria. This year, the dishes served needed to be suitable for a conference banquet, and game was required to be served as the main.

Keith comments:

I’m honoured to have been chosen as the winner of this year’s CCE Chefs’ Challenge. It’s a well-respected competition which sets out to recognise and reward the best in the industry, so I’m absolutely thrilled that my menu impressed the judges."

Keith’s winning menu consisted of a starter of seared fillet of John Dory, razor clams and shellfish with a butter sauce, a main course of roast loin of red stag, with forest mushrooms, celeriac puree, butternut squash and parsnip, and a dessert of chocolate orange mousse with praline sponge, basil ice cream, and hazelnuts. Keith was supported in the competition by his daughter, Kimberley, also an employee at Warwick Conferences and shortlisted as a finalist for the Food Service Skills award.

The CCE Chefs’ Challenge is a competition run by Conference Centres of Excellence to find the best of the chefs in the UK conferencing industry. This year marked the 16th annual CCE Chefs’ Challenge and brought together 10 outstanding chefs to battle it out in the race to become 2014’s culinary champion. The competition is endorsed by the British Culinary Federation, and each chef receives a certificate and one year’s free membership to the BCF.