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Salon Culinaire - awards for all!
Yet again, hospital caterers have proved their worth at Hotelympia 2010. All 20 chefs who competed in the HCA Hospital Chefs Team Class at Le Salon Culinaire International de Londres - the internationally respected showcase for the best chefs in the catering business - came away with highly coveted awards.
Gold winners Ian Cannon and Richard Kirton (centre), from University Hospital of North Tees, receive their awards from (L-R): Alan Fairbrass and Graham Craddock from The Worshipful Company of Cooks, Kevan Wallace, HCA Chairman and Roger Kellow from Hobart UK
The 10 teams endorsed the fact that they are up there with the very best by winning one gold, one silver, six bronze and two certificates of merit. They were judged against the same scoring system set by Salon Culinaire for some 30 cookery competitions held in the Live Theatre during the five days of Hotelympia in London.
The HCA Hospital Chefs Team Class - or the Hot Cookery Competition, as it is more commonly known within the Association - was sponsored by Hobart UK and The Worshipful Company of Cooks.
The Salon Culinaire judges praised the expertise of the hospital chefs and paid tribute to the exceptionally high standard demonstrated by all contestants. Peter Griffiths MBE, Salon Director at Hotelympia, noted, “The Hospital Chefs Team Class was a huge success. The culinary standards achieved were a credit to all chefs competing, and there were some excellent dishes. This was shown in the number of awards presented.”
The winners of the gold award automatically become the HCA’s Hospital Chefs of the Year and this year’s title went to Richard Kirton and Ian Cannon from University Hospital of North Tees, which is part of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust. The duo received the coveted HCA Salon Culinaire Silver Salver as well as medals, commemorative plates, and certificates from Le Salon Culinaire.
Their winning dishes comprised a main course of Herb Crusted Chicken set on a Bubble and Squeak Cake, served with a Crisp Medley of Winter Vegetables, complemented with a dessert of Rhubarb and Ginger Cheesecake presented with a delicate Tuille Biscuit.
The silver award went to Michael Bowman and Mark Seales from Freeman Hospital, which is part of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The HCA set the criteria for the competition. The 10 teams had one hour to prepare a two course meal - either a starter and main course or a main course and dessert - with appropriate accompaniments, suitable for serving to NHS patients. The cost could not exceed £1.90 per head for four covers and all entrants had to provide a detailed breakdown of their costings in addition to the recipes, ingredients and method.
The judging criteria required contestants to plan a meal which placed an emphasis on reduced saturated fats, sugars and salts and which is nutritionally sound. The principle protein item in the main course had to be chicken with vegetables and the main ingredients had to have been farmed or produced within the UK. Both courses had to be adaptable to produce as 50 portions using similar ingredients.
Separate awards are also presented during all the live competitions at Hotelympia by Le Salon for food hygiene and safety, and three HCA teams were acknowledged. Tom Warren-McCauley and Peter Rorbach, from Leighton Hospital, Crewe, were awarded Best in Class certificates and medals, and Michael Bowman and Mark Seales from Freeman Hospital, and Carolyn Marshall and Jill McLean, from Darlington Memorial Hospital were presented with Highly Recommended certificates.
Kevan Wallace, Chairman of the HCA, who was in the audience during the competition, commented, “It was tremendously exciting. All our chefs held their nerve despite there being several hundred people in the audience scrutinising their every move and they demonstrated their utmost professionalism to produce an exceptional selection of dishes. The number of medals and awards is proof of their commitment, their passion and their ability to stand alongside the very best chefs in the wider catering fraternity.”
And he concluded, “The level of achievement this year, as in previous years at Hotelympia, confirms that hospital chefs are making a real contribution to increasing the standard and variety of the meals on NHS menus. They’re really helping to change outdated negative perceptions of hospital food.”
The Results
| Award
|
Competitor
|
Hospital |
Qualifying from (Branch) |
|---|---|---|---|
Gold
HCA Hospital Chefs of the Year |
Richard Kirton Ian Cannon |
University Hospital of North Tees, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust |
Northern Branch |
Silver |
Michael Bowman Mark Seales |
Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
Wessex Branch |
Bronze |
Marlena Domalewska Michelle Jones |
Anglia Support Partnership, Cambridge |
East Anglia Branch |
Bronze |
Sharon Slaughter Susan Mayhew |
Aldeburgh and District Community Hospital, Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust |
East Anglia Branch |
Bronze |
Peter Rorbach Thomas Warren-McCauley |
Leighton Hospital, Mid Cheshire Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust, Crewe |
Merseyside and North Wales Branch |
Bronze |
Bernard Shoebridge Michael Brassington |
Leighton Hospital, Mid Cheshire Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust, Crewe |
Merseyside and North Wales Branch |
Bronze |
Carolyn Marshall Jillian McLean |
Darlington Memorial Hospital, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust |
Northern Branch |
Bronze |
Iain Robertson Terry Farmer |
St Ann’s Hospital, Dorset HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust, Poole |
Wessex Branch |
Certificate of Merit |
Nathen Horton Seering Jammeh |
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust |
Wessex Branch |
Certificate of Merit |
David Riggs Luke Nobbs |
West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust |
East Anglia Branch |
EVENT INVITATION
To employers, trades unions, partners and others
About the PSSF – The Public Service Skills Framework (PSSF) offers a new and effective method of training public sector support staff in customer service and other skills. The framework is designed for employees such as cleaners, porters, caretakers, security guards and care assistants. It is suitable for both directly employed staff and those working for outsourced contractors.
What it involves – The PSSF now incorporates the Get on at Work (GoaW) qualification framework, developed by unionlearn. This offers a flexible mix of bite-sized qualifications to develop personal and learning skills at Entry Level 3 and Level 1.
A new Level 2 qualification has also been developed as part of the PSSF called Skills for Supporting Public Services (SSPS). This includes customer service training set within the context of the public sector.
To find out more - join us at one of the following events:
- 28 January – Birmingham
- 03 February – Bristol
- 09 February – Southampton
- 23 February – Peterborough
- 09 March – Newcastle
- 16 March – Manchester
- 31 March – London
The events are free of charge and include presentations, demonstrations, workshops and interactive sessions covering:
- The aims of the PSSF and how to use its flexibilities for maximum benefit
- Two brand new qualifications that sit within the PSSF – Skills for Supporting Public Services (SSPS) and the Get on at Work (GoaW) framework (the latter accompanied by free online learning materials)
- Accessing learning provision that suits your needs
- Funding for learners
- An open forum and one-to-one consultations with awarding bodies, learning providers, skills advisers and Union Learning Representatives (ULRs)
Doors open at 9.00am, events start at 10.00am and finish at 2.00pm after a buffet lunch.
Click here to register or visit www.assetskills.org/PSSFEvents/
For more information please call Asset Skills on 0845 678 2888 (local rate call from UK), or email pssf@assetskills.org
The Annapurna Exchange Program Hosted by Healthcare Caterers International
Dear Colleague, in the October addition of the Hospital Caterer I mentioned a stimulating agenda from the Healthcare Caterers International (HCI) who have launched an exchange programme called Annapurna. As well as being a Himalayan mountain, Annapurna is the Hindu Goddess of food and harvests in Nepal.
This has been put together by Bob Mulder from the VHVG and Hospitality Management, Franciscus Hospital, Roosendaal, Holland. This is a two-way exchange programme aimed at professions and professionals who are directly or indirectly involved in the management of foodservices in European health care services and hospitals.
The application form is very comprehensive and lists the countries that are taking part in the exchange from Australia and the United States to Norway and all countries will accept English as a language so there should be no barriers. Although the HCA is promoting this programme, it will be up to individuals to seek funding from their Trust/Hospital or Organisation employer to fund this programme. The "Declaration of the Candidates and Commitment" form lays out the criteria that are required from the candidate and from the employer.
The application form and Declaration of the Candidates & Commitment can be downloaded by clicking on the following links (Download Application Form / Download Declaration of Commitment). The completed forms should be sent to the National Vice Chairman and Chair of GP Committee: Miss Janice Gillan, Catering Manager, Cross House Hospital, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire KA2 0BE, Tel: 01563 577050, Fax: 01563 577055, E-mail: janice.gillan@aaaht.scot.nhs.uk
Candidates are requested to complete the application and declaration form in full or they may find their application is rejected.
I wish everybody the best of luck in applying as this is an exciting development for hospital caterers, giving you the opportunity to learn from overseas colleagues and to share good practices.
Kevan Wallace, National Chairman
The Clean-Trace Report
Download the HCAI Technology Innovation Programme - Showcase Hospitals report number 2.
HCA Training and Development Bursary
Download information and an application form for an HCA Training and Development Bursary.
Vegetarian for Life… Trustees
Vegetarian for Life is an advocacy charity set up to raise awareness of the problems facing older vegetarians and vegans. We need new trustees to join our board.
Applicants should be vegetarian or vegan, and those with experience of nutrition and catering, especially hospital catering, would be particularly welcome.
Please contact Tina Fox: tina@vegetarianforlife.org.uk, Tel: 0151 608 1595.
Website: www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk
