Giorgio Locatelli announces winners of Gluten-free Chef of the Year recipe competition

Giorgio Locatelli has announced the winners of Coeliac UK's Gluten-free Chef of the Year competition, launched earlier this year as part of the Awareness Week: Food Without Fear Campaign, aimed to raise awareness and highlight the need for increased provision of gluten-free menu options for the 1 in 100 people in the UK with coeliac disease.

Giorgio Locatelli, leading chef and proprietor of award winning restaurant Locanda Locatelli, supported the recipe competition and judged the entries: "I was extremely impressed with the exceptionally high standard of recipes.  Through the innovative use of gluten-free ingredients, a wide range of both sweet and savoury recipes can be created, which are not only tasty but also suitable for people with coeliac disease to eat.  Congratulations to all the winners and I hope that more chefs will learn and understand the importance, and gain the aptitude, for providing tasty, interesting gluten-free options on their menus."

As the standard of entry was extremely high, it was decided there should be joint winners. They are Vanessa Scott (above right) of Strattons Hotel in Norfolk for her recipe Twice-Baked Binham Blue & Potato soufflé, and Christine Bailey (above left), a chef trainer and journalist from Reading for her recipe Apricot and Orange Polenta Cake.  An additional presentation was also made for outstanding achievement to Sophie Haskins (above centre) a catering student from Bristol College, for her dish, Oshi Sushi.

For more information about the winners and their dishes, and to download the winning recipes, please click here.