Congratulations Elly Wentworth, finalist of BBC MasterChef: The Professionals 2016
The hotel are delighted and proud to announce that their Junior Sous Chef, Elly Wentworth, was one of three finalists of MasterChef: The Professionals, which was won by Glaswegian chef Gary Maclean.
“The tight schedule and cooking outside your normal environment, and against other chefs you really respect, really throws some huge challenges your way. It is so tough, but it makes it all the more rewarding when you get positive feedback from the judges. Getting to the finals was amazing for me, I didn’t even think I was going to get on the show let alone into the final 3. The overall experience has been absolutely amazing and a memory I will not forget.” – Elly Wentworth, Junior Sous Chef
Elly began her catering career at the tender age of 13 where she started as pot washer at a local pub. She went to Plymouth City College to study for an NVQ Level 2 in professional catering and also took an apprenticeship at St Mellion Golf Club in Cornwall. Elly then worked in restaurants in Wales and the Lake District before returning to the South West to work at Tanners Restaurant in Plymouth and then at the Elephant Restaurant in Torquay. From Devon, Elly moved to the Manor House Hotel at Castle Combe in Wiltshire, where she worked as Chef de Partie. Here she entered and won the Young Professional class of the South West Chef of the Year competition in 2012 and again in 2014 before going on to win the title of South West Chef of the Year that same year.
In June 2015, Elly took a position as Chef de Partie at Lucknam Park and graduated to Junior Sous Chef three months later. In the same year, she reached the final of the Craft Guild of Chefs Young National Chef of the Year competition and the following June she was one of four winners of a Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Awards of Excellence (kitchen category).
“Quite simply Elly has been outstanding throughout the whole MasterChef competition. The way she handled the pressure, the maturity she displayed and of course the highly accomplished cooking, clearly mark Elly out as a unique talent. Her appearance has been a huge boost for the whole team at Lucknam Park and we are proud to say she’s one of us. I’m confident we will all be hearing a lot more about Elly Wentworth in the years to come.” – Hywel Jones, Executive Chef
“We are all immensely proud of Elly’s success throughout MasterChef the Professionals and particularly in reaching the final of the competition. It is a phenomenal achievement for someone so young and it reflects her immense talent. She is a wonderful and valued member of Hywel Jones’s kitchen team and makes a significant contribution to its overall performance on a daily basis. I congratulate her on her achievement and am confident her career will continue to go from strength to strength.” – Claire Randall, Managing Director
To celebrate Elly’s success, we are holding a selection of unique events which will give you the chance to meet Elly and sample some of her incredible cooking. These exclusive events include a spectacular 6 course tasting menu in The Park, a three course dinner in The Brasserie and a Masterclass cookery course.
