A trio of top student chefs have taken up a brand new challenge to find the best up and coming professional cook in the county.

Daisy Houlan, 18, of East Kent College, Broadstairs, triumphed over two other finalists to scoop the top spot for the KM Kent Cooks: The Professionals contest. She received a limited edition engraved silver salver and a framed champion certificate.

Her winning entry was hay roasted rump of lamb with red wine reduction, creamed cabbage and mint potato bon bons followed by blackberry mousse with poached blackberries and honeycomb.

Daisy went head to head against Amy Fields, 19, of Mid Kent College, Gillingham, and Joe Doody, 19, of Canterbury College during an exciting live cook-off hosted by East Kent College.

They each prepared a main dish and a dessert for a panel of industry experts from Best Western Abbots Barton Hotel, J. C. Rook and Sons, Brakes and Kent Cookery School. The youngsters’ signature dishes were assessed on taste, display, seasonality, local ingredients and budget.

The judges commended Joe for his main course of venison on a bed of spinach, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, with filo salsify stack and celeriac rosti accompanied by shallot and cherry sauce and a dark peppered chocolate sauce.

Amy’s dessert was also highly praised, consisting of buttermilk panna cotta and a honeycomb sandwich served with raspberry sorbet.

Andrew Rook of J.C. Rook and Sons was impressed by the contestants’ enthusiasm and abilities:

“I’m amazed at the confidence in the young chefs; they’ve produced some fabulous dishes and I’m looking forward to next year’s event,” he said.

Will Britton of Abbots Barton Hotel added: “It’s exciting to see young chefs coming through and seeing what the future holds for the industry.”

Catering and hospitality departments of colleges in Kent and Medway each put forward one cooking champion to take part in the pilot contest, which was organised by the KM Charity Team.

Event organiser Lisa Craig said: “Kent Cooks: The Professionals is a natural spin-off to the well established KM Kent Cooks competition that aims to get school children and families cooking. The Professionals contest is a new inter-college challenge for students who have chosen to study catering to a higher level."

Fodos Skordi, chef and trainer at Canterbury College, said: “The competition is a really good opportunity for them to expand their culinary experience and widen their ideas of what’s actually out there in the world of catering and hospitality.”

To view photographs of the event, click here.

• Businesses interested in supporting KM Kent Cooks: The Professionals in 2016 should contact Simon Dolby on sdolby@thekmgroup.co.uk or call 07989 164 752.