Young chefs in tasty competition

Winner of the RIBI Young Chef Competition held at Hopwood Hall College, Robyn Halcrow

Young chefs from across the region came to Rochdale this week to take part in the Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI) Young Chef Competition.

Having already competed in local and district rounds, the eight chefs battled it out for a place in the national finals held next month.

During the competition the chefs had just two hours to prepare and cook a three course meal for two, which was then judged by a panel of experts. Despite high standards from all the young chefs, it was Robyn Halcrow, 14, who attends Dowdales School in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria who won through.

Robyn’s winning menu consisted of a starter of Cumbrian ham and Lancashire cheese tartlet with a quail egg salad, a main course of grilled sirloin steak with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, onion rings and hasselback potatoes and to finish the meal off, a dessert featuring a lemon posset with a blackberry and damson compote.

Sue Hadfield, Head of Hospitality & Catering at Hopwood Hall College commented: “We were delighted to be able to hold the competition at the College.

"Our industry standard facilities make it an ideal place to host a competition for such talented young chefs.

"The judges felt that the quality and standard of the competitors’ dishes equalled what you would find in any restaurant so they should all be very proud of themselves.”