The shortlisted competitors will have an hour and a half to transform their paper entry into a showstopper during the semi-finals at the LACA Main Event on July 7th 2016, where the judges will look for flair, creativity and technical ability.
Alex Hall, executive chef at Unilever Food Solutions and part of the judging panel said: “Our aim for this competition has always been to encourage school caterers to bake from scratch, improving their skills and making them feel part of the catering industry.
“We want to celebrate these unsung heroes. This year we added a specific nutritional requirement to the entry criteria and have seen some great bakes on paper. I can’t wait to taste the semi-finalists’ bakes at LACA.”
The eight highest scoring semi-finalists on the day will compete at the grand final at the Unilever Food Solutions’ Chefmanship Centre in Leatherhead on September 27th.
The semi-finalists for each region are:
East Midlands: Helen Conboy, The Deepings School
East of England: Debbie Donnor, Nene Primary School
London: Mel Sinclair, St Paul’s Primary Scholl
North East: Simon Rawle, North Tyneside Council Catering Services
North West: Sarah Levenson, Lordsgate Township CofE Primary School
Scotland: Sheila Clyne, Burnfoot Community School
South East: Mark Kent, Folkestone Academy
South West: Lisa Christopher, St Mary’s CofE Primary School
West Midlands: Nigel Simmonds, Connect Catering
Yorkshire & Humberside: Christine Parr, Warmsworth Primary School
Wales: No entry met the 50% fruit-based desserts criteria
Northern Ireland: No entry met the 50% fruit-based desserts criteria