Warm and wanderful

Chef de partie Catherine Donlon's passion for healthy cooking was the driving force behind her entry in the Great British Recipe Competition. Her warm goats' cheese salad with roasted beetroot and oven-dried tomatoes was judged the winner in the contract section.

While working as a larder chef for Sutcliffe Catering at BP Oil, Hemel Hempstead, Donlon has gained invaluable experience. Cooking for the directors' dining room as well as the staff restaurant gave Donlon the chance to experiment with recipes.

"I like goats' cheese, beetroot, aubergine and tomatoes as ingredients. Playing around with the recipe, I decided to roast the beetroot. Combining this with aubergine and goats' cheese worked well. Warm salads are unusual, and I wanted to do something different."

Catherine Donlon

*Winner of the contract catering section

*What decided you to enter the Great British Recipe Competition?

I read about the competition in Caterer & Hotelkeeper.

Do you think competitions are good for the industry?

Yes, I think they are an inspiration. You get to meet lots of people and see what they are doing.

How did you become a chef?

It was something I had always wanted to do since I was five years old. My mum is a very good cook, and she set me a good example.

Who has influenced your cooking style and why?

Gary Rhodes. I like his straightforward cooking style, and find his recipes easy to follow.

What has been the best moment of your career?

Getting a picture of my competition dish in the Chef pages of Caterer.

Have you ever had a disaster in the kitchen?

Yes, I once added mango chutney to a chocolate cake mix by mistake. To my surprise, everyone ate it.

What do you do after work?

I bake wedding cakes and ice them.

What is your favourite ingredient?

I love spicy Edam cheese.

What ingredient do you most dislike?

Picked parsley as a garnish. It always looks so boring.