THE old adage too many cooks spoil the broth is not going to be the case when four top chefs come together to create a menu that’s a gastro-extravaganza.

Going out for a fabulous dinner cooked by a world-class chef is always a treat, but diners at the Crowne Plaza Resort, in Maldon, will be able to enjoy a mouthwatering menu where every course has been designed and cooked by a different top chef.

As well as the restaurant’s own James Parsons, former chef to the Royal household, the team includes Duncan Wilson, executive chef at the Brasserie at the Langstone Hotel, on Hayling Island, Brian Henry, executive chef at the Docklands Bar and Grill, at Crowne Plaza London Docklands, and Stuart Hine, executive chef at Glaze restaurant, the Crowne Plaza in Marlow.

All of them are World Master Chef accredited, meaning they belong to a group of the most highly regarded and distinctive professional chefs in the industry, many having achieved Michelin Star status.

“It’s going to be really good,” enthuses Brian, who had the pressure of coming up with the menu’s main course, a tempting-sounding smoked loin of pork, with a sage and onion bon bon, braised lentils, savoy cabbage, crackling and apple sauce.

“We all work for the same company and we had a competition last year for young chefs and young waiters.

“We went along with the teams to support them and we just started chatting and wanted to do something together.”

They hatched the plan, which involved taking the special menu around each of the four chefs’ kitchens and giving diners at each establishment the chance to taste it.

Brian, who’s been accredited as a world master chef since 2005, says: “My executive sous chef, who’s a member of world master chef as well, will be doing the amuse bouches, Stuart will be doing the starter and James is doing the fish course. I will be doing the main course – I pulled rank on that one. And Duncan is doing the dessert.”

Chefs have notoriously hot tempers, but Brian’s convinced there will be no diva behaviour from any of them as they visit each others’ kitchens and work with new teams.

The menu itself is a tantalising array of dishes including a confit of rabbit tortelloni with spring vegetable broth to start, James’s fish course of beetroot-cured salmon with sake jelly, seaweed, ginger, wasabi and yuzu, Brian’s pork main and a sumptuous vanilla parfait, with rhubarb consomme, ginger jelly-poached rhubarb for dessert.

For £50 a head, including spacially picked wine, it’s top class food without the outrageously high price tag that often comes with it.

Brian explains rather than go for lavish haunches of venison and expensive ingredients, the chefs instead chose dishes that showcased their skill in preparation.

He says: “We’ve all picked dishes that show a lot of skill.

“That’s what we want to showcase. Anyone can grill a fillet steak and send it out with a nice fois gras sauce, but what we’ve gone for is quite technical.”

It’s going to be a challenge turning out the food from strange kitchens, but Brian explains they all picked dishes they’re very confident with, to make sure the quality remains just as high at each venue. He says. “It’s one thing to do it in your own kitchen, with your own team, but you’ve also got to do it the following week in one of the others’ kitchens, so it can’t be too much of a pain.”

Brian hopes as well as showcasing the chef’s own skills the events will raise awareness of the high accolade that being a world master chef is.

“Not many people have actually heard of the world master chef,” he says. “Most people know what’s on the TV, but no one actually knows what a master chef is.

“It’s used as the title of a TV programme, but for us it’s like being a qualified lawyer, we’ve done our apprenticeships.

“Judges from all over the world have checked out our CVs and said we can go forward.

“You have to be invited to join, and there are only 257 in the world.”

He says unlike the Michelin star system, which sees accolades given by customers, the world master chef system sees them make the grade according to their peers.

“This is the chefs’ award,” he says proudly. “From it’s own governing body. I’m quite proud we’ve got six in the company.”

The World Master Chef UK Tour comes to Catch 22, at the Crowne Plaza Resort, Five Lakes, Maldon, on May 3. Tickets are £50 a head for a seven-course meal including wine. To book, visit www.bdlhotels.co.uk