Earl of Wessex visits Dine Contract Catering headquarters

The Earl of Wessex has visited Dine Contract Catering's headquarters in Warrington as school pupils marked the 60th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) with a cooking challenge.

Teams of pupils from three local schools along with apprentices from Dine Contract Catering and ambassadors from the DofE went head to head in a Ready Steady Cook-style competition.

The event took place on Tuesday (23 February) and was judged by former Ready Steady Cook chef Andrew Nutter.

Ian Cartwright, managing director of Dine Contract Catering, said: "We were thrilled to host the competition, which is not only a fun way to celebrate this important anniversary, but a great opportunity to encourage young people to develop an interest in cooking and potentially consider a career in catering.

"Passionate about helping young people to gain the skills and confidence they need to forge successful careers in catering, the ethos of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award fits very closely with our own. Each of our apprentices is given the opportunity to achieve a DofE Award and you can see the difference in their confidence after completing challenging expeditions."

Bill Holroyd, Cheshire High Sheriff, whose career in catering included establishing foodservice distribution firm Holroyd Meek was also a judge for the competition.

Teams battled against the clock to cook a meal suitable for eating during a DofE Award expedition, based on a fixed set of ingredients. Woolston High School was crowned the winner.

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