Andrés Björgvinsson represented Iceland in Arctic Young Chef competition

The winner of the international Arctic Young Chef was found in November when Björgvinsson competed against the national winners from the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Norway

Iceland’s representative in the international Arctic Young Chef competition was Andrés Björgvinsson, after an exquisite fusion of baccalà and skyr earned him the national title in Kópavogur today.

Mr Björgvinsson beat out runner-up Maria Ósk Steinsdóttir and the six other competitors with a dish showcasing a level of creativity and gastronomical skills that impressed the jury and the event’s spectators alike.

The three-chef jury, made up of Ægir Fríðríksson and Snædis Xyza Jónsdóttir, both of Iceland, and chair Teitur Christensen, of the Faroe Islands, praised the winner for the display of cooking and presentation skills he showed in preparing both of the required dishes. Still, they warned that he needs to up his game before the international competition in Reykjavík, Iceland, in November.

“The lamb was generally good and well cooked, but the judges could point out a few things that were lacking flavour. The salted cod was well balanced, but a little on the salty side, though this was due to the thickness and the amount of time he had to prepare it. Andrés impressed us with what he was able to do in the short time he had,” the jury said.

Receiving the trophy from Icelandic Minister of Infrastructure Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Mr Björgvinsson said he was looking forward to representing his country at the grand finale in September.

He said: “It was a tough competition, and that made the victory even sweeter. I think it is amazing that we finally have a competition that utilises less-used ingredients. Lamb belly and baccalà are both excellent ingredients you don’t often see used these days.”

The next national competition was held in Ilullisat, Greenland, in May. After that, attention shifts to Klaksvik in the Faroe Islands on 17 August, before the national championships wrapped up in Reykjavík, Iceland, in October.

Updates about the competition are posted on instagram.com/arctic_young_chef