A Tauranga chef has been selected as a finalist in the New Zealand Vegetarian Dish Challenge 2015.

Trinity Wharf's executive chef, Simon Green, has been hand-picked for the national competition which celebrates the very best of fresh New Zealand grown vegetables.

Simon Green. Photos: Supplied.

Kiwi chefs from across the country have sharpened their knives for the competition, with Simon a finalist in the Dinner category thanks to his dish of confit baby potato and cauliflower mousse with autumn baby vegetables.

Simon believes vegetarians sometimes get a bad deal when they're dining out, with many menus failing to offer a great deal of choice.

'Vegetables are under-utilised and they have so much to offer with different flavours, colours and textures,” he explains.

'You can be just as creative with vegetable as with meat or fish based meals and I like to let them shine rather than just be a component on the plate to make up a meal.”

Simon's dish is available in Halo restaurant at Trinity Wharf throughout the month of June and is being matched with a vegan wine.

Speaking about his entry, Simon adds: 'Cooking meat sous vide style, cooking slowly in a vacuum bag, is very popular right now so I decided to take that same cooking technique but apply it to a potato.

'The confit potato ended up rich and soft with beautiful herb flavours, combined with a deep fried dukkah crusted halloumi. What's not to like about vegetarian food?”

Now in its fourth year, the New Zealand Vegetarian Dish Challenge attracted over 200 entries from chefs around the country.

The three winners, announced in July, will each be awarded a New Zealand Vegetarian Dish winner plate, a Samsung 1100w-semi commercial programmable microwave and an Air New Zealand mystery weekend voucher worth $1200.

Other finalists in Simon's category include Cole Falloon of Palliser Bay, Featherston and Eugene Sokolovski of the Ribier Restaurant in Huapai.

Simon's finalist dish of confit baby potato and cauliflower mousse with autumn baby vegetables.