Lucknam Park team wins TUCO Cook and Serve competition
A team from Lucknam Park hotel and spa has won the University Caterers Organisation (TUCO) inaugural Cook and Serve competition.
The competition, which took place at Hotelympia last week, saw teams from all sectors cooking and serving a three-course meal to judges in just 90 minutes.
Each of the nine teams consisted of two chefs and one front of house waiter. They were judged on criteria including interaction with the diners, the preparation of the table, the content of the dishes and overall teamwork.
The Lucknam Park team consisted of junior sous chef Elly Wentworth, commis chef Joshua Murphy and junior head waitress Celine Berthaut.
They cooked and served a served a starter of raviolo of Cornish cod, Scottish scallops and Polkerris Bay mussels, with lambs lettuce and sea vegetables, paired with Saint-Bris Corp de Garde, J.H. Goisot, France, 2012.
The main course was roast Creedy Carver duck breast with caramelised turnips, pistachio and pak choi, accompanied by Givry Village, Deliance Frères, France, 2011.
A baked mango soufflé with coconut sorbet, paired with Rudera Noble Late Harvest, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2010, completed the meal.
Other teams competing included University College Birmingham, which won a silver award and Royal Holloway University, which was awarded bronze.
The Royal Holloway team consisted of executive chef Darren Coventry, trainee chef Pooranavelupillai Baskaran and Terri Sadler as front of house. Sadler is conference and events team leader at the university and won Gold in the TUCO service skills competition in 2015.
TUCO is the professional membership body for in-house caterers operating in the higher and further education sector.
TUCO Cook & Serve Challenge results
Lucknam Park hotel & spa
Silver
South Lodge hotel
Combined Services Culinary Arts
University College Birmingham
Ampersand Catering
Bronze
Farnborough College of Technology
The Bell hotel
Royal Holloway University
RMB Chivenor, Sodexo