Two members of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust’s catering team have reached the final in the prestigious national ‘NHS Chef of the Year’ competition.
Assistant Head Chefs Erica Bell and Shelley Pearson-Smith impressed the judges with their recipes in the semi-finals of the competition run by NHS England, which means they are among the top six finalists in the country.
The competition’s final stage, starting this week, will see the competing chefs carry out a number of menu challenges in a catering academy in Frome, Somerset. Teams will be eliminated stage by stage ‘Masterchef’- style until the last three teams compete on the final day. Each team is mentored by an individual chef who has in-depth experience and knowledge.
The judges are made up of NHS England and NHSI leaders with a catering background. The teams are judged on factors including flavour, innovation, nutritional value, affordability, and reducing the carbon footprint of ingredients. Looking at calory value and taking the needs of allergens and lifestyle factors into account will also be part of the judging process.
The catering team based at Stepping Hill Hospital have already received a number of accolades for the excellent quality of their food, including winning trophies at the national Public Sector Catering Awards earlier this year, and the regional awards of the North West branch of the Hospital Catering Association last year. They were also chosen as one of 14 ‘exemplar sites’ as part of an NHS scheme improve hospital food standards across the country.
During the final week in the academy Stockport is facing teams from East Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Solent, West Suffolk, and Wye Valley NHS Trusts, and the final winner will be announced on Thursday 3rd November.
Support Services Manager (Catering) Duncan O’Neil said “Everyone in the catering team is incredibly proud of Erica and Shelley for making it to the finals as NHS Chefs of Year. They are both very talented chefs as well as great colleagues so we think it is very much deserved. We’ve got our fingers crossed in wishing them all the best for the final week.”