Trainee chefs qualify for national competition’s final

THREE young aspiring chefs have made it through to the final of the Country Range Student Chef Challenge, which will take place in London on 7 March at the UK’s largest food service and hospitality event, Hotelympia.

Competing against the likes of City of Glasgow College, Ayrshire College, North East Scotland College and Newcastle College, the local students from South Eastern Regional College are more than ready for the live final cook off after the highly competitive semi-final.

Darren Boyle from Newcastle and Eoin Gallagher from Castlewellan are currently studying their level two traineeship for catering in the SERC Downpatrick Campus, while Ciaran Magee, from Downpatrick, is also studying at the same campus but for his level two catering skills for work qualification.

The nine teams from across the UK who will participate in the final will have to once again cook their three-course, three-cover menu in just 90 minutes, but this time in front of a live exhibition audience.

This year’s theme is ‘Around the World in Three Spices’ with teams having to use a different fresh or ground spice in each of their courses. Whilst the menus can be tweaked slightly before the final, the SERC team’s successful menu comprised of scallops, cauliflower, cumin, sea lettuce and ras el hanout for starters and locally sourced loin of Finnebrogue venison, guanciale, spiced red cabbage, beetroot and violet potatoes for the main course.

To finish off the delectable meal they then created a Chai-infused chocolate mousse and ganache, blood orange sorbet, buttermilk and honeycomb.

Emma Holden, organiser of the Country Range Student Chef Challenge, said:

“It was an incredible start to the semi-finals with some unbelievable technique, team work and dishes on display. Huge congratulations have to go to all the teams but SERC and North East Scotland College thoroughly deserved to make it through to the final after each produced three amazing dishes. We look forward to seeing both again in March at Hotelympia where the pressure is definitely cranked up a notch.”

The students’ menu received encouraging comments and the judges are very excited to see and try the finished dishes. One judge said that “The various elements of each course and the selected spices used have clearly been well thought-out.”  

The Country Range Student Chef Challenge provides students with the opportunity to showcase their culinary skills at one of the leading competitions across the country and is open to teams of full-time hospitality or catering college students.  

SERC Head of School for Business, Hospitality and Tourism James Currie said:

“This is a fantastic achievement for both mentors and for the students involved. Congratulations on reaching the final and good luck in the competition.”