Rotary Young Chef Competition 2009

After reaching the local heat of this much anticipated competition, Maiden Erlegh pupils: Daniel Hosie (8E4), Luke Mitchell (8E2), Jamie Hind (8LK), Charlotte Nyguist (8E3), Drew Camburn (9LK), Esther Chevassut (9LK) and Leanne Ali (9E3) competed with pupils from several other Wokingham schools for a place in the regional heat.

Held at Waingels Corpse School on the 21 January, students were required to cook a healthy 2 course meal within 1½ hours before being judged by 2 professional caterers.

With much publicity of the benefits, cooking is now especially regarded to be a necessary skill in developing healthy eating habits in the future. In addition to this, cooking has developed into a highly profiled ambition, something to which many now aspire. This competition brought light to this, as well as proving a worthwhile experience.

Mrs Dray remarked: “All the pupils’ efforts were immense, with attention to detail at every level, including the layout of the food and arrangement upon the table. Students did extremely well to cook and present such wonderful dishes in unknown surroundings.”

Eventually, Drew Camburn (9LK) proved successful, winning a place in the Banbury regional heat. Esther Chevassut also proved successful as a runner-up. Drew’s achievement is much to be congratulated, and hopes are high for similar success in the next heat.