City of Oxford College and University Centre student wins national canapé competition 

A Professional Culinary Arts Level 2 student from City of Oxford College and University Centre, Josh Zitha, has won first prize at the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC)’s national cookery competition, Game On.

As one of ten shortlisted students for the annual competition, Josh was invited to showcase his culinary skills at a final cook-off on Thursday 6 March at the UK’s top culinary college, Westminster Kingsway College, in London.

Accompanied by his mentor for the competition and Catering and Hospitality Teacher at Activate Learning, Gary Witchalls, Josh put on a fantastic performance and was crowned the overall winner of the competition for his mini partridge wellington canapés.

Aimed at catering students across the UK, the competition tasks students with creating their own canapés using game meat, and this year, the chosen meat was partridge.

With submissions from across the country, the competition was split into two parts.

The first part asked students to send an image of their canapés, along with a description, ingredients list and a step-by-step method, while the second part saw students compete in a final cook-off.

A nod to the French Pithivier, which is an enclosed pie usually made by baking two discs of puff pastry, with a filling stuffed in between, Josh’s mini wellingtons incorporated a mushroom duxelle (a finely chopped mixture of mushrooms, herbs, garlic, and shallots cooked in butter), truffle oil and pipettes of partridge sauce to be squeezed onto them.

As part of his prize, Josh will now return to London on Thursday 20 March for the annual BASC Eat Game Awards Gala dinner at One Marylebone, where his canapés will be served to 250 guests prior to sitting down for a game dinner.

Josh will also be an integral part of the production and service of his canapés on the night.

Josh Zitha is studying a Professional Culinary Arts Level 2 Certificate at City of Oxford College and University Centre.

He said: “It was amazing to win the Game On competition because it’s something I never thought I would enter or achieve, but thanks to the amazing chefs and support from everybody, I was able to win!

“My dish was a partridge wellington made in the style of a Pithivier, which is a nod to French cookery. It had a mushroom duxelle with truffle oil and partridge breast.”

Gary Witchalls, Catering and Hospitality Teacher at Activate Learning, said: “I was so happy for Josh when he clinched the win at the finals of this national competition.

“From the very beginning, and through the numerous trial sessions we did once we knew he had reached the finals, Josh has remained 100% focused and committed.

“On the day of the final, Josh was calm, organised and professional, and I was told that the judges noted that his working practices were far beyond his age.

He added: “I’m biased of course, but I genuinely believe Josh thoroughly deserved the win.

“This is his first cookery competition, but I have a feeling it won’t be his last! I am very proud of him.”