Ayr College chefs are best of British

Mar 11 2011 by Stuart Wilson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

A TEAM of college chefs have been crowned best of British.

The students at Ayr College are celebrating victory in the national cook-off after outclassing rivals from across the nation.

And their success marks the fifth win in seven years for lecturer Norman Robertson and his talented teams at Ayr.

This year’s triumphant team was made up of Michael Shedden, Iona Kan and Laura Michel, who are all NVQ Level 2 and 3 catering students.

The event – organised by Brakes Group, which is a leading food supplier to the catering industry – challenged teams of catering students throughout the UK to devise a three-course meal for four covers at a cost of no more than £12 per head.

Course leader Norman revealed: “We are extremely proud of the students.

“They have worked tirelessly on the menu devoting many hours out of class to get the flavours and presentation of their menu spot-on.

“The Brakes student team chef challenge is a very prestigious competition that carries a lot of weight in the industry.

“We appreciate Brakes Group running a competition such as this, as it gives our students a chance to work under pressure in teams in front of well-respected chefs, giving them an insight into the industry and how it works.”

Ayr College competed against four other teams at Glasgow’s SECC with entrants judged on their regional menu, taste, presentation, teamwork, seasoning, culinary skills, working methods and overall menu balance.

Martin Bates, CEO of Craft Guild of Chefs, said: “I have been involved with Brakes Group and the student team chef challenge for around six years and this year was one of the most difficult to judge.

“There was only a single point difference between the winners and second place – and all of the dishes were of a competition winning standard.

“All the finalists should be very proud of themselves. We offer our sincere congratulations to the students of Ayr College and wish them well in their culinary careers.”

James Armitage, marketing director for the Brakes Group, said: “It’s important to invest in developing the huge potential of young trainee chefs – and we know that past finalists have gained long lasting benefits from taking part.

“We commend the professionalism, skill and creativity of the Ayr team which won them this coveted title and hope that they all go on to achieve great things in their future careers.”