Superstar student reaches major cookery final

A sensational student chef from Loughborough College has won a place in the final of one of UK’s toughest competitions.

Sam Watkins, 18, from Loughborough, has made it to the final three of the Nestle Toque d’Or 2022  Grand Finals as the only English representative in the ‘Back of House Student’ category. The Grand Final champion wins an all expenses paid, gastronomic trip to Dubai.

Sam was one of 38 competitors who took part in the national heats stage of the competition, putting into practice everything they had learned so far on balanced diets. Only the best of the best made the Grand Finals which will take place during the last week of April.

Sam, who earlier this month finished second in the national Riso Gallo Young Risotto Chef of the Year competition, said: “I cooked a Mediterranean-style roasted stuffed pepper on a bed of asparagus, inspired by my mum's cooking when I was younger!

“I am incredibly astonished by my achievement of making it through to the finals. It was such a relief as well as I’m extremely excited to see what’s up next! It was a tough competition and with such great judges, it was an amazing experience.

“My motivation really comes from my passion of cooking! It is something I really enjoy doing and have a lot of fun with it, so it doesn't seem much of a task. My inspiration mainly comes from what I've been taught in college as well as my family's cooking as we are vegetarian so have to be creative with our dishes! These competitions allow me to develop my skills and meet some incredible chefs along the way."

The Grand Finals week includes exciting challenges and opportunities around the Sustainable Futures theme allowing competitors to develop a variety of skills as well as being put through their paces.

Darren Creed, Curriculum Manager and Loughborough College’s head chef, said: “We’re running out of superlatives for Sam. She’s having a tremendous year in national competitions which we encourage our students to get involved in.

“Going up against peers from other colleges is a vital part of the enrichment offer at Loughborough College and helps our students push themselves out of their comfort zones by trying new dishes and performing at professional levels.

“We’re so proud of Sam who has really grabbed every opportunity to push herself and is seeing the rewards.”

Katya Simmons, our managing director of Nestlé Professional UK&I, says: “We were delighted this year to have a live Heat stage of the competition and again the standard was incredible.  The talent the competitors displayed was overwhelming and everyone who has taken part should be very proud. They are all a credit to the hospitality industry. Good luck to our nine finalists, they are all in for a very exciting Final’s week.”

The Grand Finals will take place from 25th-29th April 2022, with the winners announced during the Awards lunch on Friday 29th April 2022.

The competition will be judged by MasterChef: The Professionals, The Festive Knockout winner Louisa Ellis, educator and well-respected sommelier and wine expert, Raul Diaz, as well as guest judges who are yet to be announced.

This year, winners will be taken to attend the Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2022 in Abu Dhabi as well as a gastronomic weekend in Dubai. The Savoy Education Trust will also be providing £1,000 for each of the colleges taking part in the Grand Finals and £2,500 for the winning colleges to be used to purchase equipment from Russums.

The competition aims to educate and test college students and apprentices in both practical, service-based and business-focused tasks.