Budding Burnham-On-Sea chef Poppy MacKay has proven her top Mary Berry cooking skills by winning the latest round of the Rotary Club’s Young Chef of the Year competition.
On Saturday (February 24th), Poppy competed against six other young chefs in the district final of the prestigious competition, hosted at King Alfred School Academy in Highbridge.
The youngsters were set the challenge of preparing and cooking a three-course meal in two hours on a restricted budget.
The two judges – Max Coles, Head Chef at Sanders Garden Centre, and Peter Goodship, Chef Lecturer & Apprentice Trainer at Weston College – praised the young chefs for the “exceptionally high” quality of their finished meals and the variety, pictured here.
All competitors were presented with Certificates and Cookery books. The runner-up was Katrina Nightingale from Wiveliscombe. Both Poppy and her will progress to the South Wales and South West Final at Cardiff in March.
Both judges were impressed with the high standard of cooking and presentation and the professional attitude of the competitors. They said that spending time with the youngsters had been “inspiring” and they could see a future for them all in the hospitality industry.
