News

The LACA School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) 2015 final sponsored by Maggi from Nestle Professional will take place on May 20th following the completion of the regional finals on Friday. Britain’s top ten school chefs will battle it out at the National Final at the Food Services Wing, Defence Logistics School, Worthy Down near Winchester, Hampshire.

The annual competition is the flagship event for school chefs to showcase their professional skills and is used as a platform to show the high quality of school meals to parents and the important contribution they can make to the health and wellbeing of their children as well as their physical and educational attainment.

With the significant and historical changes that have been made by the Government this year within school meals in England, namely Universal Infant Free School Meals and new School Food Standard regulations, the Competition is more important now than ever before.

The finalists represent the East Midlands; Eastern; London; North East & Scotland; North West; South East; South West; Wales; West Midlands and Yorkshire & Humber.

Each entrant is required to produce, in just one hour and a half, a healthy balanced two-course meal comprising of a main course and dessert that would appeal to eleven year olds in school. A maximum of £1.60 is allowed for the cost of a single meal (main course and dessert) for one child.

Chair of the Judging Panel at the 2015 National Final will be Justin Clarke, Food Development Chef for MAGGI® at Nestlé Professional.  Also on the Judging Panel is a professional chef judge, an education catering professional (Jacqui Webb, LACA), a leading dietitian (Jasmine Challis, British Dietetic Association), the 2014 LACA School Chef of the Year, Tanya Watkin from Bedfordshire and an 11 year old boy and girl from a local Hampshire school.

Justin Clarke, Food Development Chef, Nestlé Professional, said: “It’s been another fantastic year judging the LACA School Chef of the Year Competition with all the contestants creating some brilliant dishes!

“It was great to see so many school chefs taking on the challenge and demonstrating their extremely high standard of skill and creativity – it’s why I love being a part of the competition.”

Carrieanne Bishop, LACA National Chair said:  “LACA School Chef of the Year is a fantastic way of showing why every school should be striving for a high quality school meals service. 

“This year, the Government set out a clear vision which placed quality at the heart of successful school meals. Integral to this, was the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals in September 2014. This was, at last, a real acknowledgement of the pivotal role school meals can play in laying the foundations for children’s future eating habits and their long term health. 

“Our front line catering teams are critical to the process of driving forward these improvements as well as educating young people about how food and eating better can help them achieve more academically and physically.

“Not only do they prepare tasty and imaginative dishes to tempt discerning taste buds but also nutritious meals that can make a major contribution towards altering eating habits, improving diets and decreasing obesity levels. 

“All of the contestants who have taken part this year should be inspirational role models for the food and beverage service in every school nationwide. Good luck to all of our 2015 National Finalists.”

Head of Food at Nestlé Professional, Susan Gregory, said: “With 85% of primary school children now eating a school dinner at lunchtime, the spotlight is on school caterers to provide healthy, nutritious and tasty meals for the nation’s children.

“LACA School Chef of the Year gives these chefs the opportunity to shine and showcase the talent and skills needed to create delicious food even on a limited budget. We continue to be impressed by the high calibre of the finalists year on year and we wish all the contestants the very best of luck.”

The 2015 National Finalists are:

East Midlands School Chef of the Year 2015
John Morrey, Sir Jonathan North Secondary School, Leicester  (Leicester CC)

Eastern School Chef of the Year 2015
Wendy Kemp, Malvern Way Infant & Nursery School, Rickmansworth  (Herts Council)

London School Chef of the Year 2015
Shereene Weston, St Mary Magdalen Catholic Primary School, Lewisham (LB of Lewisham)

North East & Scotland School Chef of the Year 2015
Abdul Mahdoul,  Walbottle Campus Secondary School, Newcastle  (Newcastle CC)

North West School Chef of the Year 2015 
Emma Atkinson, Lark Hill Primary School, Stockport  (Stockport MBC)

South East School Chef of the Year 2015
Liz Sutcliffe, Sandcross Primary School, Reigate, Surrey (Surrey CC)

South West School Chef of the Year 2015
Sharon Cundell, St Edwards C of E Primary School, Plymouth (Plymouth City Council)

Welsh School Chef of the Year 2015 
Kate Davies, St Gwladys Primary School, Bargoed (Caerphilly CBC)

West Midlands School Chef of the Year 2015

Vicky Brammer, Crescent Academy, Stoke on Trent (Stoke on Trent Council)

Yorks & Humber School Chef of the Year 2015
Ashley Oliver, Overdale CP, Scarborough Primary School, Scarborough (N Yorkshire CC)