Mount Charles Big School Cook Off announces winners
The final took place on 4 March and was hosted by Belfast Metropolitan College. The Rainey Endowed School duo beat seven other Northern Irish teams to lift the Big School Cook Off title.
Johnny and Gareth cooked ‘Piggy ‘n’ Cod Salsa Dance’; fresh Irish cod, brushed with rosemary and lemon, wrapped in local black bacon and served on a bed of spinach. The boys’ dish was accompanied with oven baked potatoes and fennel and Spanish onion sauce.
Caitriona Lennox, business development manager at Mount Charles said: “Well done to Johnny and Gareth, their dish was outstanding. But each team should be so proud of themselves, making it to the final is a massive achievement in itself.
“We launched the competition to inspire and encourage secondary school pupils to consider a future career in the hospitality industry and judging by the quality of the recipes presented today, we can be assured that these young cooks will go on to have successful careers in the catering and hospitality sector, if that’s the path they choose.”
The finalist dishes were displayed for parents and teachers. The judges included Noel McMeel executive head chef of Lough Erne Resort, Imelda McCarron former Bake Off contestant and Ciaran Drain executive chef at Mount Charles. The judges made their decision based on the duos presentation and taste of the dish as well as their teamwork skills.
Head judge McMeel, added: “I’m stunned at the passion for cooking on display today, it was inspirational and every young student here should be very proud of themselves. It is truly amazing seeing young people coming together to showcase the great local produce we have here in Northern Ireland.
“We hope the teams have had a wonderful experience participating in the competition, we thank their teachers and parents for their time and encouragement and that they all return to compete next year.”
The duo won prizes, including:
- Big School Cook Off Competition winner’s plaque.
- Private Box VIP tickets to an SSE Arena Ice Hockey match.
- A SuperValu goodie bag.
- Their school received a £100 voucher for catering equipment of their choice.