Williams Arms chef becomes Big Cheese

Anthony Williams of the Williams Arms in Devon has been crowned Bladen`s Big Cheese 2008 after wowing judges with his Really Cheesy Pork Provencal dish.

Williams (pictured, right), Head Chef at the restaurant in Braunton, beat fellow finalists Steve Hardstone of the Jolly Farmer in Surrey, and Mitchel Adams of The Thatchers Arms in Essex at the final on October 20, to win £1k and the chance to work with Christopher Basten from the London Marriott Hotel for the day.

He said: "The dish gradually developed over a number of years and the cheesiness of it made it an instant hit with my customers. Cheese is such an important ingredient in cooking and I’m looking forward to the development day and working on some new recipe ideas.”

Judging the competition with the Craft Guild of Chefs were Jen Wheildon and Georgina Huysinga of Bladen who praised the finalists.

“We were truly impressed with all three of the recipes. They were very diverse and illustrated how versatile cheese can be as an ingredient. On behalf of Bladen we are delighted to congratulate Anthony on his win.”

Hardstone and Adams were also congratulated for their dishes of Chicken ‘n’ Chili and Lamb Chump with Mature Cheddar Crust and a Courgette & Fresh Mint Salad.

Stephen Scuffell, Fellow of the Craft Guild of Chefs added: “Each finalist showed huge inspiration in their dishes and professionalism during the cook off, my congratulations to Anthony for his twist on a French classic.”

The competition was launched earlier this year to find the best recipe for Bladen cheese.

To try Anthony’s winning recipe visit www.the-big-cheese.co.uk​.