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North Tees chefs take gold in hospitals contest

Chefs from the University Hospital of North Tees took this year’s gold medal in a major hospital chefs’ cookery competition in London.

The competition was part of the 2010 Le Salon Culinaire International de Londres, a showcase for the best chefs in the catering business. Le Salon was part of Hotelympia, the UK’s largest food service and hospitality show at ExCel in London.

The winners in the Hospital Chefs Team Class were executive chef Richard Kirton and chef Ian Cannon from University Hospital of North Tees, part of the North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Trust.

The competition was organised by the Hospital Caterers Association and sponsored by Hobart Manufacturing and the Worshipful Company of Cooks. The gold award winners also become the HCA’s Hospital Chefs of the Year.

The awards allow hospital chefs to demonstrate their skills unrestricted by the boundaries of NHS recipes and menus.

Their winning dishes were a main course of herb-crusted chicken set on a bubble-and-squeak cake served with a crisp medley of winter vegetables. This was followed by a dessert of rhubarb and ginger cheesecake served with a delicate tuille biscuit.

The second-place silver award went to Michael Bowman and Mark Seales from Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Chicken & Black Pudding with Two Way Potato and a Pepper Sauce and Apple & Chocolate Crumble Tart with a Creme Anglaise Sauce.

Bronze went to Sharon Slaughter and Susan Mayhew from Aldeburgh and District Community Hospital, Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust: Lemon and Garlic Chicken Croquettes, Sprouting Broccoli with Crispy Bacon, Beetroot with a Citrus Sauce, Creamed Potato with Spring Onion and Fatless Sponge Roll filled with Vanilla Cream and Raspberries, served with Raspberry Coulis.

Finalists had to prepare a two-course meal with accompaniments that was suitable for serving to NHS patients. This was based on either a starter and main course or a main course and dessert. The cost could not exceed £1.90 per head for four covers.

Preparation time was just one hour and all entrants had to provide a detailed cost breakdown in addition to the ingredients and method.

Judging criteria required contestants to plan a meal with an emphasis on reduced saturated fats, sugars and salts and which is nutritionally sound.

The principle protein item in the main course had to be chicken with vegetables and all ingredients had to have been farmed or produced within the UK.
Both courses had to be suitable to produce as 50 portions using similar ingredients.

This article was also featured on http://www.fm-world.co.uk