Tipperary chef Luke Ahearne has the right recipe for success in London

A Clonmel man has reached the semi-finals of a competition to find Britain’s best young chef.
Luke Ahearne has reached the last four of The Roux Scholarship, which has been running for more than 30 years.
“It’s great. It’s such a prestigious competition and to get through to the regional final in London on March 24 (this Thursday) isn’t too bad,” says Luke.
“It’s an honour. When you start out in the competition you don’t really think how far you can go but now you’re at this stage you want to go the whole way.”
Recently appointed head chef at Corrigan’s Mayfair in the heart of London, Luke has spent much of his relatively young life travelling back and forth to Britain.
The son of Nuala and Eddie Ahearne from Clonmel, he was born in Edgware Community Hospital in London, and lived in New Southgate in the English capital until the age of 3, when he moved home with his family and grew up in Ard Gaoithe, Clonmel.
Having attended St Oliver’s national school and Clonmel High School, his keen interest in catering and cooking saw him spend some time with well-known chef Neven Maguire at MacNean House and Restaurant in Blacklion, Cavan.
From there he went to work at Campagne in Kilkenny, at the age of 21. Shortly after his arrival the fine dining restaurant was awarded a Michelin star.
“I had a great time in Campagne,” he says.
“Garrett Byrne, the head chef, took me under his wing. He showed me the ropes and how a kitchen should be run.”
Luke, who also reached the final of the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition in 2014, returned to London to work at The Clove Club in Shoreditch, which at the time was ranked as the 27th best restaurant in the world.
He spent a year there before moving to its sister restaurant Luca in Farringdon, London, where he became senior sous chef.
In his search for a new challenge he joined the Corrigan Collection towards the end of last year, and where he was recently appointed head chef at the Mayfair restaurant.

He also turned 30 recently, and with his progression through The Roux Scholarship competition he says it has been “a mad month.”
The competition is judged by Michel Roux jnr (BBC Saturday Kitchen, Kitchen Impossible, Masterchef), Brian Turner CBE (BBC’s Ready, Steady, Cook and Saturday Kitchen) and James Martin (BBC Saturday Kitchen, This Morning and Saturday Morning with James Martin), among many other Michelin-starred chefs.
Eighteen chefs, and two reserves, were selected from their written recipes that used Dover Sole, brown shrimps and handmade pasta.
The recipes were submitted anonymously to the judges, who took part in the Recipe Judging day at Roux at Skindles Brasserie, Taplow, Buckinghamshire on March 1.
The 18 finalists will compete in two regional finals that will be held simultaneously on this Thursday at University College Birmingham and University of West London, Ealing.
Luke is married to Clonmel woman Zoe O’Mahony and the couple live in Dalston in Hackney East, London.
“She’s my biggest inspiration,” he says.
“She’s always there to support me through everything and she encouraged me to enter the competition.
“She’s my biggest critic too but is my best support, and she always gives me a nudge when I need it,” says Luke.

Eddie reflects on his time in Tanzania

Book on sale in Clonmel