College chefs make final of prestigious competition

Talented young Loughborough College chefs have cooked up a storm to reach the final of a major national competition.

The College team, consisting of Sophie Jones, Caitlin McGrath and Riley Monk, will go head-to-head in a live cook-off with five other colleges in the final of Zest Quest Asia 2022 next month after winning their regional heat.

Judges said they were bowled over by the quality of entries which were submitted on paper as a menu and business case. The criteria was that the dishes had to have an Asian influence but with British produce being the main component.

The Loughborough Team created a Filipino menu because it is an under-represented cuisine in the UK.

Their menu consisted of crab cakes with salted duck egg friend rice, Asian slaw and ginger caviar to start. A main of Kare-Kare beef stew in a peanut sauce with steamed jasmine rice, baby Asian vegetables and spicy shrimp crunch. And a dessert of Ube Cake, served with a pineapple yum ice cream, Asian coconut macaroon and Yung coconut.

Darren Creed, Curriculum Manager for Hospitality & Catering at Loughborough College, said: “Congratulations to our fantastic students on reaching the final. They worked hard to research the dishes, the menu and ingredients and drilled deep to work out the costs, sales prices and the style of the business they would run.

“It is not easy to impress these judges and reach the final, but the team has done brilliantly and I can’t wait to see them transform this paper-based menu into the real thing in the final.”

They will face the Colchester Institute, North Hertfordshire College, The Sheffield College, University College Birmingham, and Westminster Kingsway College in the final on Friday, 8th April 2022 at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.

Zest Quest Asia has grown in prestige to become a fixture of the college competition calendar. An educational and cultural trip of a lifetime awaits the overall winners, with the team of three students, accompanied by their tutor, immersing themselves in the cuisine and food traditions of an exciting Asian destination only revealed at the Gala Dinner and Awards Night.

Judge Cyrus Todiwala said: “Once again we were bowled over by the quality of the entries, and we were pleased to see that the interest in Zest Quest Asia among the colleges and students was as strong as ever. This year the finalists will be challenged even further during the cook off, as they will be asked to demonstrate their use of technology and what they can do with some very interesting and innovative ingredients.”

Tickets are now on sale for the Gala Dinner and Awards Night at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5. Tickets are £90pp and £850 for a table of 10. Tickets can be purchased at: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mcculloughmoore/659878