Guild team prepares to take on the world

A six-strong team is preparing to represent the Craft Guild of Chefs in the Culinary World Cup, to be held in Luxembourg in November.

Nick Vadis, executive chef for Eurest, British Airways, will captain a team made up of Chris Basten, head chef, Richmond Gate hotel, Surrey; Andy Twells, head chef, Westleton Crown hotel, Suffolk; Mike Godfrey, executive chef for Sodexho, Eton College, Berkshire; Matt Owens, head pastry chef, Compass Group Circadia, and Vincent Cottam, head chef, CDS London MoD.

Claire Clark, head pastry chef, Hilton London Metropole, will advise the team on entries for the pastry categories, while Darren Neal, sous chef, Guinness, Park Royal, London, and Greg Price, Whitbread Modern Apprentice, Renaissance hotel, Solihull, West Midlands, will act as support chefs. Price won his place by finishing first at the Whitbread Group Design a Dish competition in April, at which Vadis was chairman of the judges.

Sharing the Compass team's transport, accommodation and kitchen facilities, the Craft Guild team will compete as individuals in four display categories during the five-day event from 16 to 20 November.

Basten, Godfrey and Cottam are entering the cooking category, which requires them to prepare a cold platter for eight, six plated starters, a platter for two (prepared hot but displayed cold), a three-course lunch for one, and a five-course menu gastronomique for one. The pastry categories are the domain of Twells and Owens, who will each prepare a celebration show platter for eight, a show platter of five varieties of petits fours for eight (with a centrepiece), four plated desserts, and a pastillage centrepiece.

As captain, Vadis will be co-ordinating the team's efforts and meeting regularly with team members before their departure for Luxembourg a week before the competition. The team hopes to exceed the medal tally of 10 brought home by the Craft Guild team from the 2000 Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany.

by Diane Lane