University College Birmingham wins British Culinary Federation challenge

The final was held last week (17 May) at Stratford-upon-Avon College. It saw teams from nine further education colleges demonstrate their cooking, presentation and service skills in front of an expert panel of judges, including Michelin-starred chef and chairman of the BCF, Peter Griffiths. Each college team, comprising two chefs and one waiter, were required to create a menu using sea bass, Gressingham duck for main, and a non-chocolate based dessert. They had to prepare the three course meal using ingredients supplied by Brakes, and present the dishes to diners. The winning college's menu included; Fillet of sea bass, fennel & artichoke risotto, sauce vierge as their starter, roasted duck & root vegetables, cabbage and potato timbale jus roti for the main course, and an apple & almond tart, caramel sauce, cinnamon panna cotta for dessert. The students have been rewarded with a culinary experience in a Michelin starred restaurant. They also won a team trophy, plus a three-piece global kitchen knife set each, a framed certificate and a voucher for Brakes Catering Equipment. Nicolas Welsh, chef from the winning team said: "We are extremely proud to have won such a demanding competition. Performing in front of top professionals was very nerve-wracking at times, but we seemed to cope well with the pressure and produced three great courses. Winning this has really spurred us on to make a success of our future careers. It's been an inspiring experience." Second prize went to Stratford upon Avon College and third prize went to Liverpool Community College. James Armitage, marketing director at Brakes Group added: "This is one of the UK's most demanding competitions for budding chefs and front-of-house staff, with the contestants having to perform in a real pressure-cooker environment. It gave the students a great insight into the exacting standards of cooking and service, which are required by our top restaurants." The competing colleges, selected from across the UK, were Bournemouth and Poole College, North East Worcestershire College, Stratford-upon-Avon College, Llandrillo College, University College Birmingham, Liverpool Community College, New College Nottingham, Stratford-upon-Avon College – Rugby Centre and Henley College Coventry.