Each year, chefs from across OCS are invited to don their aprons, sharpen their knives, and showcase their culinary talents at our Chef of the Year competition.
Held at Cobbs Farm Shop and Cookery School in Stratford upon Avon on Thursday, 21st November, eight finalists arrived ready to compete for the Chef of the Year and Dish of the Year titles.
The finalists competing were Craig Campbell from Cheshire Fire & Rescue, Terry Griffiths from Qinetiq Farnborough, Ant Clark from Ocado Dordan, Dean Hickson from Ocado Trident Place, Andre Alto from Kings Norton Girls School, Shannon Talbot-Bennett from Angel Hill North West Hub, Tom Evans from Qinetiq Malvern and Andy Flynn from Compare the Market.
The competition consisted of two rounds. In the first round, the signature round, competitors created and submitted a signature dish as their entry. This round determined the Chef of the Year. In the second round, competitors faced a ‘mystery basket’ task. They were given sea bass as the main ingredient and a basket of mystery ingredients. Using their expertise, they had to create an innovative recipe to impress the judges. This round determined the Dish of the Year.
Throughout the competition, chefs were judged across various categories, including the organisation of their work area, waste minimisation, use of different cooking techniques, and the innovation, presentation, and taste of the food they produced.
This competition is an important part of our annual business calendar, as it brings together chefs from different backgrounds and parts of the UK to demonstrate their skill, creativity, and passion in an environment outside of their usual workplace. From school kitchens and distribution centre cafes to fine dining workplace restaurants, the breadth of culinary expertise was vast.
The day culminated with a presentation of awards by Martyn Stockwin, Catering Director, who proudly crowned Shannon Talbot-Bennett as OCS Chef of the Year, and Craig Campbell as the winner of Dish of the Year.
Winning Dishes:
- Shannon Talbot-Bennett: A refined twist on Classic British Fish & Chips with pan-seared Pollock, topped with salt & vinegar infused scraps, crushed pea salsa, triple-cooked chips tossed in aromatic masala spices, with warm tartar sauce and a drizzle of coriander dill oil.
- Craig Campbell: Pan-seared Sea Bass with pickled samphire, and a mussel velouté.
The judging panel included Dan Farrand and Matt Chapman, OCS Development Chefs, along with representatives from our sponsors, Dole Produce, Bidfood, and Russums.
We are very grateful to our sponsors, whose support allowed us to host the competition in an incredible venue, using fantastic fresh produce and new uniforms for all competitors.
The judges were unanimous in selecting both winners, and the scores were so close in the mystery basket round that the top three were separated by just 10 points. All finalists won a £100 Lifestyle voucher.
This competition is a great platform to prepare chefs for entering other competitions. It also provides an opportunity for chefs to learn from the experience and incorporate new ideas into their daily menus for their customers. The competition encourages our colleagues to be the best they can be.
We look forward to seeing what our talented chefs will create next year!
