2025
Craig Johnston
“Go with your heart’s desire and instinct and enter; you have to make the time to do it and come up with your dish. ”
The moment the winner of The Roux Scholarship 2025 was announced left Craig Johnston stunned – he didn’t quite believe his name had been called. The winning moment came after several weeks of preparation for the 41st national final and at a prestigious award ceremony at Coworth Park, and he was confirmed by Honorary President of Judges Elena Arzak as the Roux Scholar for 2025. It was Craig’s last opportunity to enter the competition before he passed the age limit, but having previously found success as champion of Masterchef: The Professionals in 2017, he knew it would be worth a try.
Craig first became interested in cooking as a child when he would help his mother bake cakes and biscuits, and celebratory family meals. At secondary school, home economics classes developed his interest, which led to him doing GCSE in the subject. After his exams, he got a summer job at Boulters Riverside Brasserie in his home town of Maidenhead, where Chef Daniel Woodhouse encouraged him to stay on to gain his qualifications ‘on the job’. It turned out to be a great decision, because over the next few years he rose through the ranks quickly: the small kitchen had given him a fast-track through the various sections and after five years he was sous chef. A break to go travelling followed, and Craig went backpacking around South-East Asia, learning more about different global cuisines as he explored India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other countries over eight months.
Next came a role at The Royal Oak, Paley Street, and a chance to work at a Michelin-starred level, where he learned more about cooking game and rose to be senior sous chef, then acting head chef. It was around this time he decided he wanted to test himself and entered Masterchef: The Professionals where he wowed judge Marcus Wareing. Some months after his win, Wareing came calling with a role in his brigade at The Berkeley.
Between 2018 and December 2023, Craig rose through the ranks again, learning everything from Shauna and Mark Froydenlund. On their departure, Craig became head chef for two years until the restaurant’s closure.
After some months freelancing, a new opportunity came Craig’s way: head chef at Angler Restaurant in the City, where he has remained since. Here, he loves the challenge of keeping a fish-based menu exciting and appealing for repeat customers, and leading a small team. He has also retained the restaurant’s Michelin star.
Then his last chance to enter The Roux Scholarship arose for the 2025 competition. Despite growing up in Maidenhead, Craig had never been to The Waterside Inn, but all that changed the day of the national final, when he joined five other finalists in the Alain Roux Culinary School to create a dish inspired by the Basque cuisine of Elena Arzak. We can’t wait to see where his Roux Scholarship journey takes his career next.
What did you cook in the final?
We had the task of cooking a dish with Wyndford Wagyu shank with bone marrow, borlotti beans and Basque-style stuffed potatoes. It would have been easy to get fixed on the first word ‘Wagyu’, which in a steak is very tender, full of marbley fat. Whereas, obviously the shin is still a shin, so it's quite a tough protein to cook, and has connective tissue to sort of break down and you need to let it slowly breathe. When I was setting up in the kitchen in the morning [before hearing the brief], there was a pressure cooker in the cupboard, but I just thought maybe that's part of the cookery school equipment, I really should put two and two together. But I did bring a pressure cooker with me anyway, just in case I’d need it, even though the last time I ever used one was when I was on Masterchef. It helped with cooking the borlotti beans more quickly. I think the element that really threw me off was the Basque-style potatoes, which I've never heard of, and I don't really know much about Basque cooking - though I do now because I've looked into it. It’s one of those things that makes you realise the key element was staring you in the face: the President of Judges is from the Basque Country - I really should have done some research on that!
What was the highlight of the cook-off?
My cooking station was right in front of the kitchens where all the judges were congregating to watch us cook, so that was something – seeing all those top chefs there. I loved the whole set up of the competition, being at The Waterside Inn, especially with it being so close to my home town, it was very memorable.
What would your advice be to future applicants?
The timing of the entries opening is always a difficult time for chefs because the brief comes up in the run up to Christmas and January you might be on holiday, or could be busy. So it’s a hard time of year to find time to put effort into an entry, but I’d say go with your heart’s desire and instinct and enter; you have to make the time to do it and come up with your dish.
How did you prepare your recipe application?
It was an amazing coincidence, but I’d just put a dish on the menu that was steamed halibut, parsnip puree and mussels and so I had the basis of a dish, I just had to put my own spin on it for the competition. I changed the fish to red gurnard obviously and, as I had to incorporate a different garnish, I made a jelly with the mussel stock and set that with the seaweed on top of the fish, and used a bit more technique.