Three chosen to represent Britain in World Skills test
Chef Adam Peirson, waitress Olivia Dixon and pastry chef Chris Nurse have all won the right to represent Britain at the 37th World Skills Competition, to be held in St Gallen, Switzerland, in June.
Peirson, from Claridge's, had to battle it out against two other competitors at Westminster Kingsway College last month, after the three had been shortlisted for the final selection stage at this year's SkillCity in Manchester.
In the restaurant service category, Olivia Dixon from the Empire hotel in Llandudno, Conwy, claimed the place for the World Skills Competition. She defeated Simon Lamkin from the Birmingham College of Food, Technology and Creative Studies in two further days of competition after the two had been chosen at SkillCity.
The SkillCity event, held over four days in November 2002, incorporated Skill Hospitality, which included a live cook-and-serve event aimed at finding the young chef, waiter and pastry chef who would fly the flag for Britain in Switzerland.
In the severely undersubscribed pastry category, Chris Nurse claimed his place outright after no other competitors showed up. Nurse was, however, praised for his rendition of six fruit tartlets, a gâteau incorporating chocolate and a small sugar presentation piece.
In Manchester, chefs were required to prepare two starter portions of lemon sole, a plated main course of corn-fed chicken for four people and two portions of a banana dessert to finish. The judges, who included Brian Turner, were looking not only for technical competence but also effective time management and the ability to work under pressure.
The restaurant service competitors, meanwhile, had to prepare, dress and serve a Caesar salad as well as serving the fish starter, silver-serve a potato dish and vegetables at the main course and produce a banana flambé for one of the diners for dessert. Competitors were evaluated on, among other things, their social skills, personal appearance and ability to describe the wine and food.
All three final representatives will now embark on a special training programme to complement their work or college schedule.
The World Skills Competition, also known as the Skill Olympics, is open to competitors who are younger than 23 and is held every two years in one of the 34 member countries of the International Vocational Training Organisation. The competition aims to promote on-the-job craft training and, as well as hospitality skills, categories range from jewellery-making to industrial electronics.
At the last competition, in Seoul, South Korea, in 2001, Britain was represented by waitress Kelly Young (who also acted as a restaurant service judge for the Skill Hospitality event in Manchester), chef Lucy Hyder and pastry chef Hugh Marsh.
