By KLTV Newsdesk –
Shelley College’s Chef Tom Armstrong has claimed the 2022 LACA’s School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) Competition title.
The Hilton Birmingham Metropole, was the venue for the 28th year of the LACA School Chef of the Year, fondly known as SCOTY.
After two competitive days of cooking, Tom Armstrong of Shelley College, Huddersfield finally emerged as the worthy winner, with Raheem Morgan of Torridon Primary School named runner-up. Clair Edwards from Rhiw Syr Dafydd Primary School, Caerphilly came third.
Dishes
Tom, who was a first-time finalist, served up a stunning Tandoori Quorn & Onion Bhaji in the ‘Grab and Go’ class before going on to deliver an Indian spiced Quorn Cottage Pie, served with crushed Bombay potatoes, butter sauce and greens.
His dessert of Coconut milk panna cotta with mango puree and freeze-dried raspberries completed the meal.
Raheem Morgan also won the ‘Grab and Go’ Award for his Loaded Quorn Corn savoury waffle, a spicy savoury waffle topped with avocado, tomato and crème fraiche inspired by a traditional Jamaican corn fritter.
‘Incredible Creativity’
Chair of Judges, Kate Snow said: “It’s been amazing to see the incredible creativity and quality from all the finalists.
Now more than ever before we need to inspire children into more sustainable eating habits, both for their health and that of the planet.
“We’re proud to be a sponsor of School Chef of the Year, Tom is a very worthy winner. All of his dishes were fantastic.
“We look forward to working with him to create delicious meat-free menu choices for school menus.”
‘Amazing People’
Speaking after the competition Tom said: “I have met some amazing people, who now feel like family.
“LACA is a fantatsic organisation. As a first-time finalist, I loved the welcoming feeling. I am so excited for the next 12 months.”
‘Another Impressive Year’
Speaking about the event, Sarah Robb, foodservice marketing manager at Premier Foods said: “It’s been another impressive year in the LACA School Chef of the Year competition.
“We’ve been blown away by the variety of dishes served up both at the regional and national finals. Congratulations to Tom on winning this title.
“We look forward to following his journey during their winning year.”