Two Catering students from Stratford-upon-Avon College have won the southern heat of the Young Seafood Chef of the Year 2011.

Yvonne Brown and Jack Holmes, both studying on the Advanced Culinary Diploma at Rugby, won the southern heat last week and are now through to the national final in Grimsby on 20^th May.

The UK Young Seafood Chef of the Year is a national competition for catering students to showcase their skills, techniques, flair and understanding of seafood. Contestants from colleges across the UK design and cook a seafood menu, using a variety of sustainable seafood options. This is a fantastic opportunity for young chefs to compete on a national platform and be judged by leading chefs.  

Each college taking part in the competition enters a team of two student chefs. The first challenge was to submit an initial paper entry menu using sustainable fish from the list provided. Then they had to prepare, cook and present the menu for six covers. Regional heats continue to take place across the country during March and April. The pre-final dinner will be held at Millfields Hotel, Grimsby with the Grand Final at the Grimsby Institute in May. Competition winners will each receive a cheque for £500 and the winning college will win £1000 of Russums vouchers.

Michael Holden, lecturer at the College, said, “Both Yvonne and Jack worked hard in preparation for the competition. The paperwork part was completed on their own without any input from me. Then we all used our own time to have practice sessions refining the dishes and then doing a full run through. All this effort then paid off on the day when they beat the other regional finalists.”

Stratford-upon-Avon College works in conjunction with Warwickshire College to offer a range of hospitality and catering courses (Levels 1 to 3) at the Rugby campus. With the guidance of our tutors, the students run a training restaurant and bar at Rugby, offering a variety of dining styles and undertaking tasks that are valuable to their career development. ‘Platform One’ is a brand new, modern glass-fronted fine dining restaurant that offers delicious, affordable food to the public. The restaurant is open for lunch Monday to Fridays and table d’hote dinner on Tuesday evenings during term time and fine dining on Thursday evenings. Contact Platform One on 01788 863199.   

If you would like more information, please contact marketing@stratford.ac.uk|