Schools rise to challenge

8th February 2010, 2:05pm

School chefs will be competing against some of the industry’s finest to cook school meals under ‘Ready, Steady Cook’ conditions; plus sponsor McDougalls will be showcasing the versatility of its products.

The most high profile of the Public Sector caterers has challenged the Craft Guild of Chefs to a 'Ready Steady Cook' style competition.

Leading School Chefs chosen by LACA will take on top Craft Guild Chefs in a fun but serious challenge that will test their skills to create food within the budgetary and nutritional restrictions imposed by government.

Names from the world of school kitchens getting involved include Jane Barlow from the London Borough of Newham, Jenny Spratt from the London Borough of Havering and Tracy Winfield from Derbyshire, who is competing in this year's LACA School Chef of the Year competition sponsored by Maggi from Nestle Professional.

The Craft Guild of Chefs will be represented by, among others, Chris Basten in a series of fun yet competitive cook-offs.

In addition to this there will be sessions demonstrating the versatility of hand held food and how it can comply with nutritional standards, offering another option to the school caterer.

Serving all your favourites for over 50 years, the iconic British brand, McDougalls, which is sponsoring the Education Day at Cost Sector Catering Live will be exhibiting at Hotelympia. You can see them at Stand S2560.

McDougalls is passionate about providing support for the education sector. The company says: "Our aim is to help make school meals work within the nutritional guidelines, be cost-effective for schools and deliciously appealing to young adults.

"Hotelympia provides a fantastic opportunity for McDougalls to share its proven experience and expertise with schools. There will be lots of interaction on the stand with live demonstrations showcasing our new products and the great work we have been doing on our handheld snacks, which you can be confident in and children will love.

"Providing the reassurance that you can trust, the McDougalls development team new range of handheld snacks are fully 2010 FSA compliant, contain no HVOs or artificial ingredients. This easy to use, versatile range offers a number of service options that are simple to make, reduce operator costs and with a long shelf life, eliminate costly food waste.

"The improved ranges include McDougalls cookie and muffin mixes, providing a snack or dessert that can be served as part of a balanced school menu. Quick and easy to make, they can be easily adapted to disguise ingredients less popular with children which will further increase the nutritional value of the product.

"Our talented team of dedicated education specialists will be on hand to provide advice and guidance. With a combined experience of over 200 years in the industry, the team works in partnership with schools to inspire caterers, using a number of different channels. This includes supporting schools with innovative recipe solutions, nutritional analysis and training. These free services are great time savers for schools, helping to produce varied, balanced menus.

"In addition to the extensive range of new ideas and products we'll be showcasing on our stand, on Wednesday 3rd we are dedicating the entire day to education. We'll be challenging catering managers to a 'cook-off' competition against chefs from the Craft Guild of Chefs.

"We appreciate that it's becoming more and more important for catering teams to keep school meals fresh and appealing. Making food appetising, in line with nutritional standards and cost-effective is a challenge - a challenge which McDougalls has successfully taken up."