FINALThe Grand

Run in collaboration with the Craft Guild of Chefs, who provide competition-standard judging and vital feedback to the students throughout the process, the Country Range Student Chef Challenge has been running for over 25 years and is the ultimate test for teams of three full-time hospitality and catering students.

Testing essential core skills and techniques, the challenge is carefully designed in line with the NVQ syllabus to assess both classical and modern cooking techniques.

Each team of three must work together to devise a delicious three-course, four-cover menu that showcases their feel for flavour, cooking and teamwork skills. The dishes need to be prepared and presented in just 90 minutes.

The Theme 2023

The theme for this year’s competition was ‘Around the World’, which aimed to stretch the students’ knowledge of international cuisines, ingredients, flavours and cooking techniques from across the globe.

Each course focused upon a different cuisine with teams having to create a Mexican starter, an Africa-inspired main course and an Australian dessert.

The Live Final

After colleges submitted their menus for the paper judging in December, five teams were selected to proceed through to the live final at the Hotel, Restaurant & Catering Show at Excel in London last March.

Each trio had to recreate their menuspreparing, cooking and presenting their dishes to a high standard in front of a live audience and under the watchful eyes of judges from the Craft Guild of Chefs.

GRAHAM TAYLOR, HEAD OF CULINARY ARTS MANAGEMENT TEAM SERVICE INDUSTRIES, CAMBRIDGE REGIONAL COLLEGE: “COMPETING IN THE STUDENT CHEF CHALLENGE WAS A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE FOR OUR TRIO OF STUDENTS AND WILL CERTAINLY HELP THEM AS THEY EMBARK ON CAREERS AS COOKS. THE BRIEF REALLY TESTED THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF INTERNATIONAL CUISINES AND TECHNIQUE, WHILE THE TEAM ASPECT OF THE COMPETITION IS VITAL IN PREPARING THEM FOR HIGH PRESSURE COOKING IN PROFESSIONAL KITCHENS WHERE TEAMWORK IS ESSENTIAL.”