College chefs aim for Ricoh success
Catering students in Coventry have been undergoing a grilling at a competition cook-off.

Chefs at the Ricoh Arena arrived at Henley College in Bell Green to judge the culinary skills of NVQ level three professional cookery students.

The Ricoh Arena in Coventry has enlisted the help of Henley College for the Coventry and Warwickshire Food and Drink Awards, which will be held in the E.ON Lounge on Tuesday, November 18.

The winning students will be invited to cook their dish at the prestigious awards ceremony for 200 diners which will include critics and guests from the local food industry.

Four teams, each with three students, were given a brief that only stated the cost per dish and type of course – students had to design their own menus and then cook their dishes to be judged.

All four teams that took part will be invited to the Ricoh on the awards night when the winning team will be announced and then asked to join the Ricoh chefs in the kitchens and cook their winning dish for the 200 guests.

The Ricoh’s head chef Tom Harris and development chef Felan Hennigan were the two judges.

Felan said: “All of the food looked, smelt and tasted delicious – the students at Henley College did a great job and are good chefs in the making.

“When we sampled each dish we gave the students advice and tips on how they could improve – but the overall standard of both taste and presentation was outstanding.

“When they were deciding on their menus, they had to bear in mind that we wanted a dish that would be straightforward enough to cook for a large amount of people in a short amount of time.

“Cooking for 200 people is quite a task, let alone a hall full of food critics and people that really know the food industry, so it will be a great and memorable experience for the winning team.”

For more information on the Food and Drink awards go to www.foodanddrink2008.co.uk

Picture Caption: Left to right, Ricoh’s head chef Tom Harris and development chef Felan Hennigan, with Clive Seal advance practitioner at Henley College, judging the food of one of the teams.