Becoming a top chef is a calling. To get to the top, dedication, long hours working in hot kitchens and ambition are all fundamental ingredients for success.
Congleton’s Young Chefs, encouraged by dedicated teachers from the two schools, Congleton High and Eaton Bank, compete annually to win first prize and get to the first step on the ladder. This year, on one of the recorded hottest days of June, with the temperature soaring to over 30 degrees, they put on Rotary aprons won in earlier rounds and got to work.
The Rotary Young Chef Competition culminates in ‘The Eric Capper Trophy’, awarded to Congleton’s top young chef. The Trophy is in memory of Rtn. Eric Capper, who introduced the Young Chef competition to Congleton’s schools. The finals have to be taken seriously. Under the watchful eyes of head judge, Congleton’s hotelier and ex-London top pastry chef, Andrew Bourne, and retired home economics teacher, Mrs Rosemary Knight, the finalists have two hours to cook a main course of their choice and a dessert, specified by the judges. The main meal has to complement the dessert! This year, a third judge was invited to join the competition. Rotary president Eddie Roberts was a chef earlier in his career. To his delight, he found that his ‘whites’ still fitted and he joined the process, looking professional and enthusiastically watching the cooks at work as well as tasting the results.
The entrants have a budget supplied by Rotary. £18 has to cover all the ingredients and each young chef has to keep a detailed record of every penny spent for the judges. The judges watch each step of the process, awarding marks for seasonality and use of local produce, hygiene, use of correct cooking equipment, presentation and table setting.
The dessert course this year required the entrants to make 12 scones. Precise instructions were supplied, together with a recipe. The entrants were then required to make a filling of their own choice to compliment their main meal.
The winner of the Eric Capper Trophy was Victoria, a student at CHS. She cooked a tea smoked duck breast with a cherry sauce with a charred sweetheart cabbage and fondant potatoes. Her lemon scones had a lemon whipped crème fraiche and strawberry compote.
The results were as follows:
1, Victoria, CHS (Winner of the Eric Capper Trophy)
2. Kaitlyn EBA
3, Imogen, EBA
Commended finalists: Elsie and Isabelle, both from CHS
