THE knives were out for Gordon . . . but this time they were creating three outstanding, competition winning dishes. Jamie Raftery, 24, from Co Galway, Ireland, is the chef de partie at Michael Caines? two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Gidleigh Park Hotel, in Chagford. He can now add winner of the Gordon Ramsay Scholar Award competition to his already impressive CV. The competition saw 32 working chefs from across the UK battle it out through a series of cook-offs over the course of a five-day event held at the BBC Good Food Show on December 2. The event culminated in an eight-strong final during which judges, including Gordon Ramsay Holdings chefs Angela Hartnett and Mark Askew, picked Mr Raftery as the overall winner. In the final, Mr Raftery had to cook a starter, main course and dessert in front of an audience of 400 people. As a starter, Mr Raftery served a pumpkin soup with a fricassee of wild mushrooms. The main course that followed had to be made up of ingredients chosen from a mystery bag and the chefs only had 30 minutes to plan the dish. Mr Raftery?s effort of slow cooked wood pigeon wrapped in parma ham and served with a potato galette and a Madeira jus drew specific praise from the judges who singled it out as the best cooked dish in the competition. For his dessert, Mr Raftery prepared a light shortbread with roasted figs and honey. Sue Williams, general manager at Gidleigh Park Hotel, said: ?Winning the competition is a real achievement for Jamie ?the possibilities for his career are endless. ?I?m delighted that one of our team has been voted as one of the top chefs in the country. It just goes to show what can be achieved.? As well as a new car worth £5,000, Mr Raftery?s prize includes week long placements at Gordon Ramsay?s signature restaurants in London, Paris and New York. He will also be taking up a placement at The Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal?s award winning restaurant in Bray, Berkshire. Mr Raftery has worked at Gidleigh Park Hotel, where Michael Caines is executive chef, for almost three years.