Liverpool college takes Country Range crown

That winning feeling continues to spread across Liverpool after the city saw a team of student chefs win the Country Range Student Chef Challenge.

The City of Liverpool College came out on top in the a thrilling final of the competition at the Hotel, Restaurant and Catering Show at the Excel in London, coming out on top of the 10 higher-education colleges competing at the event.

Three culinary students – Chi-Gin Cheung, Talent Sibindi and Beth Disley-Jones – took the title with an inventive menu that showed off an array of skills and techniques that wowed the judges and watching audience.

The competition, which is run in conjunction with the Craft Guild of Chefs, has been won by City of Glasgow College for the past two years, but stole the show by creating a three-course meal. The starter was Filets de Sole Bretonne with Beuree Blanc Sauce, Vegetable Julienne, Turned Mushroom and Lace Tuile; the main was Cajun-Spiced Pork Medallion with Savoy Milanaise, Port and Apple Croquette, Buttered Mash and Robert Sauce; and a dessert of Lemon Tart with Sesame Sable, Italian Meringue, Lemon Gel and Raspberry Foam.

“It was a fantastic and fitting finale to the Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2019/20 and one which showed everyone that the future of the UK and Ireland’s culinary industry is in very safe hands,” said Country Range Brand Manager Vasita Jantabutara.

“There have been comments in the media recently that a career in foodservice is unappealing and that people working in it are low skilled but I think the standard of skills shown by the students has dispelled any notion of that.

“For young student chefs to be able to plan, prepare and execute menus of that quality under competition conditions is phenomenal so hats off to all the teams who took part and a very special congratulations to this year’s winning students from the City of Liverpool College.”

While City of Liverpool College took the main title, there were a series of other winners too. They are:

City of Liverpool College – Silver – Best In Class

City of Glasgow College – Silver

Ayrshire College (Kilmarnock Campus) – Bronze

Peterborough Regional College – Bronze

University of Derby – Bronze

Newcastle College – Bronze

South Eastern Regional College – Merit

Carlisle College – Merit

Loughborough College – Merit

West Suffolk College – Merit

City of Liverpool College Competition Country Range Country Range Group Country Range Student Chef Challenge Foodservice wholesale