De Vere Academy National Young Chef Competition - Final cook off approaches

Every Academy across the UK has been running heats this month. A total of 16 winners are taking part in the big final in London later this month. During the final, each of the participants will cook one main course and one dessert, to be the same as presented in the heats. There will also be a few additional criteria to see the best use of a minimum of two of the following: 5 a Day, Economical with Energy, Sustainability, Organic/Free range products, Low Fat and Salt. The awards will be: De Vere Academy National Young Chef, The Green Kitchen Award and Will Sheppard Award. Kellie Rixon, managing director of the De Vere Academy, said: "It is amazing how competitive these young people get. At the beginning of the apprenticeship programme some of them have never ever held a knife in their hands, while others have a passion for cooking. "No matter what their background and motivation is to be on the programme, they suddenly find a path in life, they feel appreciated, and their confidence goes to the roof. The competition gives them a title to aspire to and keeps them engaged and motivated months after they graduated from us." "This competition has all the ingredients to be a huge success. We are proud to see the amount of support we get from the ambassadors of this industry, celebrities, business partners, and media. "At this time of increasing youth unemployment, we are confident that by working together with our valued business partners, we will continue to create opportunities to allow more and more young people to become stars in the UK hospitality and service sectors." TV chef Paul Hollywood is going to be the celebrity judge at the final in London.