Ayr College crowned Brakes Group student chef champions

The event organised by leading foodservice supplier Brakes 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. The triumphant team comprised of Michael Shedden, Iona Kan and Laura Michel who are all NVQ Level 2 and 3 catering students. Course lecturer Norman Robertson said: "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 on March 2 at Glasgow's SECC. All teams were judged on their regional menu, taste, presentation, teamwork, seasoning, culinary skills, working methods and overall menu balance. The judging panel included Craft Guild of Chefs CEO Martin Bates, executive chef at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall and vice chairman of the Craft Guild Christopher Basten, and Ian MacDonald from the Federation of Chefs Scotland, and all were delighted with the overall standard of student entries. However the menu devised by Ayr College proved to be a worthy winner. Bates 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 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." Basten, who will host a five day work experience placement for the winning students, said: "The final was a fantastic barometer for the emerging talent we have in the catering world and all entrants should be extremely proud of their contributions. However the winning team was exceptional – pulling out all the stops and demonstrating that they could source and cost produce effectively, while showing off their creativity and cooking abilities. I'm looking forward to welcoming them to my kitchen." Brakes' marketing director James Armitage said: "We have been proud to support the competition again this year. 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 this coveted title and hope that they all go on to achieve great things in their future careers." Along with a work experience placement with Basten, the winning team also receive a year's free membership to the Craft Guild of Chefs and a set of Global knives each. Second and third place teams win £150 of Brakes Catering Equipment vouchers for their college.