Northumberland chef reaches the final stage of the prestigious Roux Scholarship

A Northumberland chef has been put through to the finals of a prestigious competition as his journey to be named as one of the best young chefs in the country continues.

Liam Smith took part in a regional semi-final stage in Birmingham on Thursday, March 7, where he impressed judges and made it to the last part of the competition.

Liam, who works at Restaurant Pine, is the only North East representative in the competition and is now just one of six chefs competing for the title of Roux Scholar 2024.

Speaking after last week's semi-final stage, Liam has given an insight into how he is going to prepare for the final round.

He commented: “I guess it’s hard to prep for the final, but I’ll be doing lots of reading of classical cookbooks.

"And then on the day, I guess it’s a case of keeping your head.”

Receive a news round-up, as well as breaking news alerts, when you sign up to NewcastleWorld’s newsletters

As part of the semi-final, Liam had to cook for the judges and make a "mystery box dessert".

The Roux Scholarship was set up by Michel Roux OBE, and his brother Albert, in 1984 as a way of giving a new generation of chefs the chance to train in the world's greatest restaurants.

Liam will now compete in the final at the Alain Roux Culinary School, at The Waterside Inn, on Monday, April 8.