A Saffron Walden student has whipped up the recipe of success by making it through to the district finals of the Rotary Young Chef of the the Year 2014 competition.
Kate Tillotson, a pupil at Friends’ School, will represent the town at the event in Ipswich on March 8.
She first had to battle through the local round, hosted by Catherine Whyte at Friends’ School and held at the second attempt after a power cut had scuppered the initial outing.
Six young chefs from local schools competed for the right to go through to the semi-finals: Sophie King and Kirsty Sendall from Newport Free Grammar; Harvey Hubbard, the only male competitor, from the County High; and Kristen Laborious Brattberg, Brigitte Parnham and Kate from Friends’.
They each had to cook a two-course meal, taking into account the taste, nutritional value, presentation and cost, within a set time.
The event, which was sponsored by Waitrose and Saffron Walden Rotary Club, was judged by Hassan Shamkh, the chef/proprieter at The Restaurant, Julia Chapman of 1 Myddleton Place, and Mrs Whyte. It was a tough competition and the judges had a difficult task, but Kate was declared the winner.
The 14-year-old went on to contest the semi-finals in Norfolk earlier this month. Her main dish of Falafel with salsa and minty, cucumber dip, rocket salad with balsamic glaze and pitta bread, impressed the judges enough to see her qualify for the regional finals.
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