A MALTON chef is among the finalists in the prestigious Kikkoman Masters 2018 professional chef competition.

Dan Graham, formerly of the Talbot and now chef patron at his private dining company, At the Dinner Party by Dan Graham, will join nine other chefs to compete for the coveted title, Kikkoman Masters Winner 2018 - and win a trip to Japan.

As part of the competition, chefs were challenged to come up with a starter and main course using Kikkoman soy sauce as an integral ingredient.

The judging panel this year consisted of celebrated names in the catering industry, including Simon Hulstone, chef patron at Michelin-starred The Elephant in Torquay, and Yorkshire’s own TV Chef Brian Turner.

Also on the judging panel was Kikkoman UK manager, Bing-yu Lee, who said: “We were delighted with the response from chefs this year. In addition to the high standard of entries, it’s clear that chefs are thinking very carefully about their dishes and paying attention to the fine detail.

“This year we’ve also seen an increase in unusual ingredients which brings greater excitement to the dishes.”

Judges were impressed with Dan’s dishes. His starter comprised a tuna tartar with soy, sesame and ginger, sushi rice, wasabi mayo and radish.

For his main course, he made a teriyaki-glazed salt-aged Yorkshire duck breast with teriyaki shiitake mushrooms, mushroom ketchup, puffed wild rice and coriander.

Dan said: “The Kikkoman Masters is very popular with chefs so getting through to the final is a great achievement and I’m really looking forward to it.”

The Kikkoman Masters final will take place at The Restaurant Show, Olympia, on Monday, October 1. The finalists will have 90 minutes to recreate their menus.