Too Many (Good) Cooks - Joint Winners in Chef of the Year

The Annual Chef of the Year competition held by the Health, Education and Defence divisions at ISS Facility Services saw two winners - Teresa Dando, from the Little Waltham Primary School, Essex and Christopher Curtis, chef at RAF Leuchars - after a three-day cook-off which took place in the Knorr Kitchen at Unilever’s HQ in Surrey.

In the heats, the chefs prepared two courses, using their own chosen ingredients within a specified budget. Winners from each heat then went forward to the final cook-off on the last day.  

The judges, assisted by Lady Pulford, Patron of the RAF Culinary Team and wife of the Chief of Air Staff, marked participants on factors including skill, presentation and culinary flair and were so impressed with the dishes presented by Christopher and Teresa that they felt it only fair to give both chefs the accolade. Under the strict Salon Culinaire conditions, both finalists created offal-based dishes, developed on the spot from a range of mystery ingredients. 

Christopher’s winning dish was a medley of pan seared kidneys, black pudding bon bon, chestnut mushrooms, bacon, puy lentils, beetroot fondant and sweet potato puree with mustard cream sauce. Teresa’s offering comprised pan fried liver, curly kale, crushed new potatoes, celeriac & apple puree with wild mushrooms and a red wine and blackberry jus.