London cook makes best school dinners
Pauline Gati from Cubitt Town Primary School in east London won the Local Authority Caterers Association School Cook of the Year 2001 competition on 31 October, beating eight other finalists from around the country.
As well as having to create a healthy, balanced main course and dessert for 11-year-olds, the finalists were on a tough budget - no more than a total of 75p for the two courses, which had to be adaptable to large-scale catering in schools.
Gati's winning menu was Persian lamb meatballs served with a mint yogurt dip, bulgur wheat pilaf, Middle Eastern salad and flat bread, followed by a mango smoothie. As well as showing "innovative culinary flair which challenged the traditional perceptions of school meals", the judges also deemed Gati's menu to be the most nutritionally balanced.
The judging panel for the competition, now in its eighth year, included celebrity chef Steven Saunders, Steve Love, business development chef of Nestl‚ UK and former chef on the Royal Yacht Britannia, and nutritionist Luci Daniels, chair of the British Dietetic Association. Two junior judges, aged 11, represented the front-line customers.
The final was held at Westminster Kingsway College in London and was sponsored by Nestl‚ Foods. Gati, a school cook for 12 years, prepares 400 meals a day for four- to 11-year-olds. She was awarded a cut-glass rose bowl trophy and £500-worth of travel vouchers.
In addition, Saunders offered Gati a day in the kitchen at his Sheene Mill hotel and brasserie in Cambridge, followed by dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel, courtesy of Nestl‚ Foods.
