Adam Handling welcomes Masterchef finalists for a special dinner at Ugly Butterfly in Cornwall

On Saturday 21^st January, Michelin-starred chef Adam Handling will welcome four fellow MasterChef: The Professionals finalists into the Ugly Butterfly kitchen for a one-off dinner on the stunning St Ives coast.

Ugly Butterfly is Adam’s sustainable restaurant in Cornwall, offering British food inspired by the area. With breathtaking views of Carbis Bay and beyond, it’s the perfect setting to host MasterChef 2022 finalists Charlie Jeffreys, James Checkley and winner Nikita Pathakji, alongside Adam Handling Restaurant Group’s own Jamie Park (2017 finalist) for an unforgettable collaboration dinner.

Having reached the MasterChef finals himself in 2013, Handling sat at the Chef’s Table during the 2022 series finale, and he is excited to bring these talented chefs in together to work on a menu that celebrates their individual styles. The seven-course menu for the event has been created to enable each professional to showcase a signature dish, using the best of British ingredients for a unique dining experience. It will begin with Ugly Butterfly’s signature snacks before diners go on to enjoy dishes from each of the chefs, including two of Handling’s most iconic dishes: Mother and Lobster, Carrot, Chilli.

Jamie Park will kick off the evening with one of his standout dishes, All About the Cornish Crab. Park has been with Handling since his very first restaurant in 2014 and shares his passion for sustainability, with a particular interest in fermenting and preserving.

Charlie Jeffreys will showcase a version of the dish he presented MasterChef, incorporating veal, artichoke and oyster in keeping with his devotion to using seasonal, sustainable foods. At 24 years old, Jeffreys has progressed quickly through the ranks and is now junior sous chef at the critically acclaimed Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester.

James Checkley has worked in the southwest of England for many years. Having developed his passion for local produce working in the Michael Caines group, he is now focusing on the abundance of high-quality seafood at the Galley Restaurant in neighbouring Devon. Checkley’s course is a dish he’s worked on perfecting over many years, which foregrounds quality southwest venison and uses as many celeriac components as it can to eliminate any unnecessary waste of the vegetable.

To finish the evening in style, the dessert course has been created by MasterChef: The Professionals 2022 winner, Nikita Pathakji. Pathakji is classically trained, having worked in various Michelin-starred restaurants across London, until she joined Kitchen W8 in 2020, where she is now junior sous chef. With a love for Asian flavours and creating her own style of fine-dining fusion, her dish is Yorkshire Rhubarb, Vanilla, Blood Orange and a Ginger Crumble.

Diners can book seats for the event between 5pm and 10pm with tickets at £120 per person. Guests attending the MasterChef dinner can also benefit from favourable rates in the hotel’s exclusive rooms or beach lodges overlooking the golden sands of Carbis Bay.

The food desk

For further information about the Masterchef: The Professionals event at Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling, Carbis Bay Estate, Carbis Bay, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2NP visit the hotel’s website here. To book a table for the event email reservations@uglybutterfly.co.uk and to book a room or lodge email reservations@carbisbayhotel.co.uk.