Sonia Reynolds named SCOTY champion

Speaking about her win Sonia told the Local Authority Caterers Association's website: "I'm feeling absolutely fantastic. It's like winning the lottery and it's still sinking in. I've worked so hard and put so much effort in to it. I've just phoned my school and told the Headteacher who shouted 'She's won' and everyone screamed. It's great!" Her award was presented by celebrity chef John Burton-Race who is an avid supporter of the School Chef of the Year contest. Sonia from Brimscombe CE Primary in the South West region cooked a Brimscombe Funkie Organic Stuffed Pepper consisting of spicy pork filled pepper served with cous cous and fresh vegetables and rounded off her winning dish with a Strawberry Tartlet described as a pastry, sponge, strawberry & shortbread layer with vanilla fromage frais. The Highly Commended Main was won by Shona Sutherland who cooked Sesame Chicken on Butternut Squash Croquette Cake, which is a vegetable croquette topped with chicken and sweet and sour sauce. Shona is from Coupar Angus Primary within the Scotland and North Eastern region. Lynn Bennett scooped the Highly Commended Dessert with a Harlequin Tart consisting of Custard tart covered with soft fruits topped with a tropical fruit glaze. Lynn is from St Johns CE Primary School within the North West region. SCOTY puts the preparation, cooking, creativity and presentation skills of school chefs to the test with each entrant required to produce, in just one and a half hours, a healthy balanced two-course meal comprising of a main dish and dessert that would appeal to eleven year old school children. The dishes must conform to national nutritional standards and can be made up of poultry, meat, fish and non-meat proteins. A maximum of 80p per head is allowed for the food cost of a main course and dessert for one child. Sonia's prize for winning SCOTY 2008 is a day's special vocational experience at a professional cookery school, a cash prize and the School Chef of the Year Trophy. All runner up finalists will receive a cash prize and the national winners of the Highly Commended Main Course and Highly Commended Dessert will each receive a trophy. Cash prizes are for their school.