It is my homage to one of the most iconic animals of a place which I now call home, the Scottish Highlands. I want to express my identity as a chef in this competition by using local and sustainable ingredients, showing respect for the animal by using everything I could. I wanted to showcase the techniques I have learnt in my short time in this industry, with butchery, pastry work and sauce making at the heart of the dish.

This dish reflects my childhood on my grandparents’ farm, where food was always seasonal and nothing was wasted. Sour cherries remind me of jam and chutney we made during cherry season, while cumin recalls the warm soups my grandmother cooked in colder months. Using the whole pigeon honors their philosophy of respect for ingredients, turning memories, tradition, and sustainability into one plate.

“Bringing the beauty of this world to the plate” is the message I would like to convey with this ‘pop art’ style dish.My most memorable encounter with the courgette is that of seeding on a courgette farm. This exercise peaked my interest in where produce comes from, how it’s grown and how to best represent that in a dish.The courgette is simple; yet when used correctly, it can add beauty and freshness to a dish.

Scallops & samphire are the flavour of the galette I was eating as a kid on Brittany's coast when my family was going to a "crêperie", this is why I have chosen 3 major ingredients: scallops beautiful seafood from Scotland (where I am living), samphire foraged along Scottish coast, and buckwheat reminder of the "galette de blé noir" dish of my childhood. Also by using the entirety of the scallops through the dish I want to express the importance of going toward a zero waste way of cooking.

Having spent so much time designing courses through local and expensive ingredients, I decided to go back to what I grew up eating. Born in South Africa and raised in the UK, a staple of our family meals was South African and this dish is inspired by the spice of the curry. The soft custard and fruits provide textures and softness through out.

Two fond memories from growing up was the excessive amount of celariac my grandma used to produce in her garden, and sailing off the west coast of Scotland and stopping off at some of the finest seafood shacks in the world eating some beautiful scallops . That's why the dish came to mind for my signature dish.

I want to showcase everything I have learnt as a chef so far. I think doing a classical dish like this is unique and modern. It really shows how different styles and cuisines have evolved. This really expresses how far food has come and how far i have come as a chef.

A Chef is someone able to forge a connection between times and who can intertwine the strings of time to create something beautiful. Food is central to our sense of identity. The way any given human group eats helps it assert its diversity, hierarchy and organisation, but also, at the same time, both its oneness and the otherness of whoever eats differently. I wanted to create a dish that reflects my background who couldn't think i would love pigeon.

The chosen fish for this dish is halibut, a firm fish with an oily texture. I have made a special sauce called fish caramel made from halibut bones with a good amount of sauce and nice creamy cauliflower puree with vanilla, blended until smooth. The lemon gel next to it gives a nice acidity for freshness in the dish. Along side we have New Zealand mussels grilled with butter halibut cheeks tartare with kohlrobi and fried kohlrobi leaves. Simple and tasty to enjoy!

This dish is all about a recreation of a happy memory growing up and getting a nostalgic feeling. Cooking and food to me is all about a mixture of new discovery and connecting to a different place, a different time, a memory, a feeling. When I was growing up my mother would take me to my nanny's place and she would always be in the kitchen making something. Two standout dishes I remember always helping her with were her Veranicki's which are a Russian perogy and borscht. We would sit for hours chopping vegetables, stuffing veranickis, and spending time together at her table. The recipe for the dough is her fathers recipe and I wanted to do a bit of a modern take on the classic dough and by adding elements of borscht through dill, beetroots, and creme fraiche throughout the dish. The duck parts of the dish are a more recent memory of moving half way around the world to come work in London at The Ritz Hotel. One of the most memorable dish's that we serve at The Ritz is the Duck a la Presse. The theater and level of service makes this more than just a dish, but creates an everlasting memory to anyone who would order it. Even the people around would remember it, it's so special.

Through a desire to seek out and understand culture outside of my own, I have been able discover so much about myself and the food I want to create. I am inspired by the flavours/methods of the world, and I want to use what I have discovered by cooking delicious food without boundaries. Ode to Sam Yee is an homage to my partner who has shared her culture with me. This dish combines Chinese flavours with my classically trained French cooking methods. This is about creating new traditions.