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During the demonstration he was joined by Kate Snow, senior home economist at Quorn, as they discussed his winning two course menu as well as topics such as meat-free meals in school catering.

He cooked aromatic steamed bao bun, sriracha glazed Chinese cabbage, Asian salad with a soy and chilli dressing for his main course. For dessert he created coconut and lemongrass panna cotta, pineapple compote, charred pineapple with coconut tuile.

The SCOTY competition aims to show the high quality of school meals and the contribution they make to the health and wellbeing of children.

LACA’s School Chef of the Year competition has launched with continued sponsorship from Quorn Professionals and new for 2022 supported by Bisto.

Entrants will prepare, cook and present four portions of a grab & go/breaktime savoury snack with a food cost of 60p per head along with four portions of a main course and dessert with a total food cost of £1.40 per head in 1 hour and 45 minutes that meet the School Food Standards and Eat Well Guide.

Registrations are open to all kitchen-based staff involved in the daily preparation of pupils’ meals in schools across the UK whether from a local authority or contract-catered site, managed in-house, academy school or part of a Multi-Academy Trust.

Registrations close on Friday 11th February 2022 and full entries must be received no later than Friday 11th March 2022.

Phil Thornborrow, foodservice director at Quorn, said: “Gone are the days when meat free meals were on the menu to cater for a minority. There is an active demand for these dishes to be exciting, desirable and tasty. As we see more and more people realising the impact that their diet has on the planet, eating habits are changing and the interest in meat free is accelerating.

“In our experience, the education sector has always been ahead of the game on the sustainability agenda. Now more than ever before, it’s crucial that we help children and young adults make healthier choices in their habit-forming years.

“We’re feeding the minds of the future and we want to inspire future generations to eat more healthily and establish sustainable eating habits. That’s why we’re really proud to be working with LACA again on this year’s SCOTY competition.”

If school chefs are interested in registering for the competition they should visit here.