Twenty-two year old Belfast girl, Anna Carling, has won the highly coveted James Street South Bar and Grill cooking competition, an innovative culinary initiative  to celebrate the upcoming Belfast Restaurant Week which takes place this Saturday  5th until 12th October. Anna will now see her recipe feature as a ‘Restaurant Week Special’ on the menu.

After scrutinising a number of entries, the impressive judging panel compromising of Niall McKenna, Head Chef and owner of James Street, renowned food critic Joris Minne, well-loved chef and BBC radio personality Paula McIntyre and influential food blogger John Ferris, decided the culinary masterpiece of rhubarb compote, jelly and sorbet with a pistachio sponge should take pride of place on Restaurant Week’s menu.

Speaking about the award winning dish, Niall McKenna said, “Anna’s dish really is fantastic. The judges and I loved the use of fresh local seasonal produce. Anna has brought a fantastic range of flavors together for this mouth-watering recipe. It really compliments our menu at the Bar + Grill and we look forward to serving it up as a Special during Belfast Restaurant Week.”

“We would also like to thank and congratulate all other competition entrants. The standard of recipe entries was exceptionally high which made the decision a difficult one. Many of the entries displayed a fantastic use of local produce, using fresh fish from our own shores, local meat and home grown vegetables. I really believe the high caliber of entries reflects the quality of Northern Irish cuisine and the passion that local people have for fresh food.”

“I am really looking forward to welcoming Anna and her friends to the cookery school master class and hope she enjoys spending their vouchers in Le Creuset.”

On winning this prestigious competition Lisburn Road resident Anna said “I am absolutely delighted to have won this competition. I always fancied myself as a bit of an amateur chef. I love cooking and am really passionate about fresh food. I love experimenting in the kitchen and coming up with new and interesting recipes. It is such an honor to have my recipe rated by the highly esteemed judging panel. I can’t wait for my master class with Niall – it is a dream come true to cook with one of Northern Ireland’s most respected chefs.”

For more information about Belfast Restaurant Week please visit:  www.visit-belfast.com/food