Catering students in Lincolnshire went head to head in a MasterChef-style competition last month aimed at challenging the next generation of chefs to use local ingredients.
The event was organised by Jonny King of fresh produce supplier FreshDrop and Boston College lecturer Steven Cottrell to help inspire young chefs.
The cook-off, held at Boston College, invited further institutions across Lincolnshire to submit teams of two students and a ‘runner’ to prepare two courses, which were then judged by a panel of chefs and experts in a bid to be named Best Catering College.
Each team entered the competition with no idea which ingredients they would be using and had just 30 minutes to decide how they would use them, with an hour and a half to prepare and create each meal.
This year’s winners were Jonathon Lee and Aaron Johns of New College Stamford, who prepared Mediterranean chicken and rhubarb crumble.
Their lecturer, Phillip Matthews, said: “We were very impressed with the standard of their food.
“It was great to see the students using techniques learned throughout the year and their teamwork applied and great to see how students are inspired and motivated by their achievement and success.”
The students winning vouchers for professional kitchen equipment.
The six-strong judging panel included Lincolnshire Pride’s food editor John Clark, Kevin Leech of Swinehead Bridge’s Barge and Mark Thackwell and Jamie Walker from the De Vere Belton Woods Hotel and Golf Resort, as well as organisers King and Cottrell.
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