Westminster Kingsway wins British Culinary Federation final

A team of three catering students from Westminster Kingsway College have been crowned the Student Challenge Cook & Serve Team of the Year, in the national final of the annual British Culinary Federation (BCF) competition.

The BCF Student Challenge Cook & Serve Team of the Year, sponsored by Brakes, is designed to identify and nurture the future stars of the industry.

Held at Stratford upon Avon College, students from nine colleges around the UK demonstrated their cooking, presentation and service skills in front of two expert panels of judges, covering the kitchen and front-of-house areas.

Each college team, comprising of two chefs and one waiter, were required to create a menu including cod for their starter, pork fillet for main, and a non-chocolate desert. They had to prepare the high-quality, three-course meal using ingredients supplied by Brakes and present the dishes to two diners. Every element was scrutinised by BCF judges both within the kitchen and front of house.

James Armitage, marketing director at Brakes, said: "This is one of the UK's most challenging competitions as it sees catering and front-of-house students working together as a team, performing in a real-time, pressurised environment. This provides valuable insight and training into the exacting standards of cooking and service, which are required by our top restaurants.

"As a committed supporter of emerging talent in the hospitality sector, Brakes is proud to be an annual supporter of this competition. I'd like to offer my congratulations to Westminster Kingsway College for such a great performance, and take this opportunity to thank all the other teams who took part."

Jim Eaves, BCF chairman, added: "With education budgets constantly being reduced and scrutinised, we are grateful to Brakes for supplying the elements needed in order for these educational facilities to attend national competitions like this one.

"Providing a 'real life' scenario like this not only gives young chefs confidence in their abilities, it provides excellent credentials for their CV - crucial when entering the highly competitive job market."

By Lisa Jenkins

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