Milton Keynes College pipped rivals Doncaster College, University College Birmingham, University of West London, and former champions, Farnborough College and Westminster Kingsway College following a cook-off held at Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen, the signature restaurant of the Hilton London Heathrow T5.
Jessica Hopcraft, Jake Stokes, and Crystall Fleming - who can now look forward to enjoying their prize of a 10-day culinary journey to Bangkok, Thailand, staying at the Double Tree Hilton - created a sophisticated, 4-course, Vietnamese-inspired ensemble with drinks to match. Placing a heavy emphasis on sustainability, their menu relied on a combination of Asian ingredients and spices, locally sourced produce (including honey grown in Milton Keynes) and meat from British breeds.
Cyrus Todiwala OBE, Chef Patron of Café Spice Namaste and founder of Zest Quest Asia, said, “The winning team prepared an amazing menu. We were impressed not just by the tastes and flavours of their dishes but with how they were able to demonstrate a strong sustainability ethos.
“But this competition also has a presentation element, and our champions had made a real effort during their presentation to show that they understood Vietnamese cuisine, including its East-West cultural history. I think this competition is doing its part to gradually introduce Asian cookery as part of the catering curriculum. That is a goal to strive towards, and I think we are getting there.”
Their first course was a Vietnamese Trio, comprising an ‘allotment-grown’ beetroot pho, vermicelli and Asian greens roll, with a soy and tamarind dressing and a chilli cashew crumble, coconut and tofu banh khot, served with fresh coconut water.
The second course was a dish called Ca Kho Bream; sea bream braised in soy in a traditional clay pot, served with roasted squash, allotment-grown pak choi, stir fried in ginger, chilli and soy, mussel rice, paired with an Astley Veritas white wine from Worcestershire.
Third course, Sticky Pork, featured pork bred in Oxfordshire in a hoisin sauce made with Milton Keynes honey, served with a sesame and peanut fried kai choi and pomello bitter sweet salad, to be washed down with Gooseberry and Elderflower Fizz. Dessert was a banana banh flan also with Milton Keynes honey and toasted sesame tempura bananas, matched with a banana, coconut and honey bubble tea.
Darren Klein, catering tutor at Milton Keynes College, said, “I cannot tell you the extent of the good that this award will do for the College. We are amazed and grateful to the judges of Zest Quest Asia who recognised our team’s efforts.”
Now in its third year, Zest Quest Asia was founded to address the skills shortage threatening the £3.5bn Asian food industry in the UK, and to stimulate interest in Asian cookery as a career among home grown student chefs.