City of Wells Chef Wins China Bureau Fusion Food Competition — Bristol & West of England China Bureau

Somerset chef Andre Wintersgill is £200 to the good after winning a fusion food competition launched to mark the 20th anniversary of Bristol’s sister partnership with the Chinese city of Guangzhou.

The competition saw Bristol and West of England China Bureau challenge entrants to create a unique dish which combined British and Chinese ingredients. Three shortlisted finalists were invited to prepare, cook and serve their creations to a panel of judges at a cook-off final. Entries were assessed by a team of judges based upon the appearance, creativity, cultural tie and “wow” factor.

The winning dish was submitted by Andre, of Andre’s Kitchen in Wells, who created a dish called “Britnese surf and turf” which includes duck, leeks, carrots, sweet potatoes and ginger.

Andre was presented with prizes including a cheque for £200, a £150 voucher, a food hamper and bottles of port and champagne by Richard Lowe, Director of Business Initiatives at the China Bureau. His recipe will now appear on the menu of a local restaurant at a future China Bureau event, with a donation made to charity for each dish served.

The two fusion food competition runners-up were Melanie Booth, of Westbury in Wiltshire, for her three fruit chicken, and Shufen Li from Bristol, with lamb and cheese dumplings.

Michael Dando, Director of Business Projects at Bristol China Bureau, who led the initiative, said: “We were taken aback by the quality of the fantastic entries to our fusion food competition and it’s gratifying that our three first placed dishes came from across our area – Somerset, Wiltshire and of course, Bristol.”