The Rotary Young Chef Competition is organised and promoted by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of several competitions for young people organised by Rotary GB&I, which include Young Artist; Young Musician; Youth Speaks; Young Photographer; and Young Writer.

 
There are four stages to the competition, each designed to support and encourage the development of young people’s culinary skills and confidence. Some stages may have more than one round. This competition aims to encourage young people to:
● learn how to cook a healthy meal
● develop food presentation skills
● consider food hygiene issues
● develop organisational and planning skills
● develop an ability to cope in a demanding situation
 
The competition is open to all young people between the ages of 11 and 17 but is intended for amateur chefs not those in the catering trade. The competition is not open to students who are enrolled on a full-time catering course.
 
The local heat took place at the Wykham Park Academy Futures Building on Tuesday January 14th. We received the support of a local sponsor, the Thomas Frank Foundation, who provided funds to cover our expenses. This group of companies operates in the food and catering sector. Gavin Young, Culinary Director for the Thomas Frank Foundation, also reviewed the applications to enable us to break the numbers down to a practical number of finalists from which to organise a cooking event.
 
At the event 7 finalists were asked to prepare and serve, in two hours, a two-course healthy meal comprising a main course and dessert for two people and costing up to £18.00. The feedback from the judging team was extremely complimentary and full of praise for all the finalist students, highlighting high standards the technical side specifically in terms of their use of sauces and additives. All went well on the evening and the students/lecturers highlighted the excellent learning and experience opportunities. The overall winner, Poppy, and the runner-up Kia, both from Bloxham School, will now progress on to the District heats, as part of the U.K. wide competition. Round two takes place in Newbury on 8th February.
 
[Photos below show the winner and runner-up receiving their trophies from Club President Charles Hughes].
 
 
 
You can see some of the delicious meals that were prepared in the Young Chef Photo-album here