LACA has announced the entrants who have successfully qualified from the first stage of LACA School Chef of the Year 2014. No fewer than 43 contestants will now go through to the ten Regional Finals to be held around Britain in the early part of 2014 from January to March.
Each regional winner will go on to represent their LACA Region at the National Final scheduled for May 2014.
Impressive, adventurous dishes to challenge finalists
The line up of dishes in the menus at all of the Regional Finals is not only impressive but also shows exceptional culinary expertise, confidence and flair. Ingredients, flavours and adventurous themes have been drawn from exotic locations right across the globe, and include: Indian Flavoured Stuffed Chicken Breast; Spanish Cocido; Thai Turkey Curry with Stir Fried Vegetables, Steamed Rice and Pak Choi; Caribbean Medley; Peruvian Chicken; Senegalese Chicken with Vegetable & Lemon Couscous; Malaysian Beef Stew with Pineapple and Red Pepper Salad & Basil Rice.
Desserts are equally as exciting and compelling – from Jamaican Blue Drawers; Matchu Pitchu Chocolate Pots and Pyramid Panna Cotta to Waspberry Wobble; Apple & Cinnamon Samosas and Superhero Biscotti.
Demonstrating the high quality of school meals – on just £1.60
The Competition is organised annually by LACA (Lead Association for CAtering in Education) and is sponsored by MAGGI® from Nestlé Professional®. School Chef of the Year has been organised annually by LACA for nearly two decades and is perhaps even more important now than in previous years. The competition aims to show the high quality of school meals to parents and the important contribution they can make to not only the health and wellbeing of their children but also their physical and educational attainment.
This annual competition puts the preparation, cooking, creativity and presentation skills of school chefs to the test. Each entrant is required to produce, in just one and a half hours, 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 £1.60p is allowed for the cost of a single meal (i.e. main course and dessert) for one child.