TWO of the South West?s top chefs have been praising the level of enthusiasm and talent at a cookery challenge by students of Okehampton College as part of the Devon Celebration of Food Week.
Chefs Tina Bricknell-Webb and Michael Caines of the award winning Percy?s Hotel and Restaurant at Coombeshead and Gidleigh Park Hotel at Chagford were two of the judges for the event in which 13 students from 70 entrants had been selected to prepare a meal in two hours in the style of TV?s ?Ready Steady Cook? challenge.
The winner was Year 11 pupil Steven Plumridge who impressed the chefs and third judge Barbara Anning, culinary advisor to the Women?s Farming Union, with his ?chicken wrapped in parma ham with prawns? and ?passion fruit meringue with fresh raspberries?.
All the students have been invited to Percy?s on October 18 where they will get a tour of the new Chef?s Academy and Steven will prepare lunch with help from resident chefs for the 12 runners-up.
Mrs Bricknell-Webb, who runs Percy?s with her husband, Tony, said the event had been fantastic.
?To see the amount of enthusiasm there was with these youngsters was wonderful,? she said. ?I was so impressed with their efforts and the thought behind all of their menus.
?The hospitality, tourism and food industry in the South West really needs some energy put into it and these kids have demonstrated that.?
The challenge, which took place in Okehampton College under the watchful eye of food technology head Jean Harris, and was judged in the Charter Hall, co-incided with the launch of the fortnightly farmers? market and attracted many spectators.
The man behind the idea Derek Godfrey Brown said you could not move for people and it was such an overwhelming success that it would definitely be repeated next year.