Following a very competitive paper judging stage, 14 college teams have been announced as semi-finalists for the Country Range Student Chef Challenge 2019/2020, chaired by Head Judge Chris Basten.
The 14 successful teams taking part in the semi-final heats, which will take place in early February, are:
- Ayrshire College (Ayr Campus)
- Ayrshire College (Kilmarnock Campus)
- Carlisle College
- City of Glasgow College
- City of Liverpool College
- Havant & South Downs College
- Loughborough College
- Newcastle College
- Peterborough Regional College
- SERC (South Eastern Regional College)
- University of Derby
- West Lothian College Team 1
- West Lothian College Team 2
- West Suffolk College
Chris Basten, Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs and Chairman of Judges at the Country Range Student Chef Challenge, said:
“Each and every application submitted had merit but unfortunately only fourteen teams can make it through so a huge well done to them. The hard part now is to recreate that excitement on the plate and palate under competition conditions in the semi-finals. The students who submitted applications clearly put a lot of time and effort in o their menus as the level of detail was fantastic, with some modern and classic trends, skills and techniques listed in their methods such as pickling, rehydrating and compressing. Best of luck to all students in the next stage.”
Country Range Brand Manager Vasita Jantabutara commented:
“Congratulations to all the teams who have made it through to the semi-final heats and commiserations to those who just missed out. It was an incredibly difficult decision for our judges as the quality of menus submitted was phenomenal and is an example of the fantastic young catering talent we have in colleges around the UK and Ireland. Good luck to all the teams in the semi-finals. I certainly can’t wait to see what is dished up on the day.”