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Her winning dishes were ‘Easy like Monday mornay’ (baked pollock with cheese sauce in a potato and spinach case), followed by a dessert of rhubarb and custard meringue tart with raspberry coulis.

Q: How did you first get interested in cooking?
A: My Grandmother was a great home cook and loved preserving and fermenting home-grown produce, which always fascinated me. And I have always loved how food brings people together.

Q: What was your first kitchen job?
A: It was in our local pub where I was responsible, at 13 years old, for the dishwashing and potato preparation. I did this on Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes for pocket money.

Q: Why did you move into school meals?
A: I applied to be a school chef when my two sons Gilly and Sammy arrived, so that I could have a better work-life balance.

Q: Can you tell us a about your school?
A: I have worked for Sarum Academy for nine years. We have 770 students ranging in age from 11 to 18 years-old.

Q: How many people are in your kitchen team?
A: I am so, so lucky to have a brilliant team of three ladies - Mandy, Sarah, and Violet - who have all supported me and steered the ship in my absence.

Q: Tell us about the food the children get?
A: I have always prided myself on the fact that all the meals are cooked fresh daily with fresh ingredients. The students have lots of choices, which vary daily, and some of their favourites include Italian and Chinese dishes and our English roast day.

Q: How did you first got involved in SCOTY?
A: Thanks to Rob Cass I was fortunate to have been involved in something called the culinary classroom, which OCS runs to help develop their people in the food industry. This gave me the confidence to enter.

Q: Tell us about the dishes you cooked this year.
A: There are a lot of criteria to meet but I chose to use fish because it is so beneficial to the students’ minds. And the rhubarb and custard combination has been around for years, but it is seasonal and British.

Q: Did you tweak the recipes through the competition?
A: No, but you are given feedback by the judges after the regional heat, so I took it all on board.

Q: Can you tell us which products from competition sponsor Bisto by Premier Foods you chose?
A: I used several - the vegetable bouillon which gave my sauce a depth of flavour and my potato case was made with smash, which is a great as it absorbs flavours like a sponge.

Q: Did you use the children at school as test subjects?
A: Yes, absolutely. I always try lots of different flavours with the students as I truly believe that if the choices are not there then how will they know if they like it? I think we sometimes don’t give young people’s palates enough credit, especially when it comes to spicy food.

Q: How did you find the final this year?
A: Every year gets better. It’s lovely to see some familiar faces and meet new like-minded people, and there is always plenty to see and learn at the LACA Main Event, it’s a brilliant couple of days.

Q: How do you find cooking in front of an audience?
A: It’s always nerve-racking, but I felt more confident this year after the experience of reaching the final last year.

Q: What did you think of your fellow-finalists?
A: I loved watching the other chefs cook. All the dishes were so well thought-out and prepared, the schools they work at are very lucky to have them.

Q: What was it like when you were announced as the winner?
A: I was totally shocked, to be honest, it was a very special moment. I nearly cried and couldn’t wait to tell my children.

Q: What’s been the reaction from family, friends and colleagues?
A: I have always had amazing support from Sarum Academy, OCS ,my operations manager Mr Rob Cass, my team here, and all my family and friends so they were overjoyed for me.

Q: Has taking part in SCOTY helped you improve as a chef?
A: Yes, by taking part you are pushing your boundaries, learning new things and meeting new people. I would recommend it to any school chef, it’s a great experience.

Q: What advice do you have for school chefs wondering whether to enter?
A: 100% - give it a go. It is only what we do day providing great food for enjoyment.

Q: How important is a school meal to a child?
A: It is vital, and in some cases may be the only mea they receive that day. It would be great if the free school meal allowance was more, or at least England had the same amount as the rest of the UK.

Q: How good is school food?
A: I think it’s wonderful. School food is so important for the students’ studies, and we try to make it as healthy, colourful and tasty as possible within the budget so they want to feed their brains.

Q: What’s the year ahead got in store for you?
A: I have already been asked to do some really exciting stuff throughout 2024, including a work experience trip with Unox to Venice, which I am super excited about. I really can’t wait to see what the year holds. 

Registrations for the LACA School Chef of the Year 2025 competition are now open.