No blues for winning Falkland chef

Nathanael Dixon took the prize – worth £35,000 – after battling his way through national heats and cooking for a distinguished judging panel.

And in September he’ll be off to London for the nine month cordon bleu training course and a three-month internship at Michelin-starred restaurant LIMA Fitzrovia. To win the place Nathanael had to fight off challenges from chefs from across the UK taking part in a range of challenges before cooking for the judges against 11 other cooks.

His savoury tart and his attitude to food impressed the judges.

After the competition a shocked Nathanael said he couldn’t believe his success: “I really didn’t expect to win because there was such good competition. I am just totally shocked, totally ecstatic and absolutely excited to be a part of Le Cordon Bleu.”

Nathanael set up the organic Falkland Kitchen Farm in 2014 through his love of cooking and his desire to use great produce, and it was that produce that motivated him to take part in the competition: “I wanted to take what we grow and turn it into something amazing.”

Confident that it will be business as usual at the farm, during his year-long absence, Nathanael also expects his cordon bleu experience to inform his choice of produce in the future.

“When I come back it will be really exciting to be growing not just the things people expect an organic farm to grow, but also more unexpected things.

“I’d like to grow some of the heritage varieties that are going out of fashion and bring them back,” he added.

The farm supplies vegetables to shops, restaurants and markets across the region.