LACA has revealed that Angela McCurry (Nourish Catering) from Pride Academy has won the Grab ‘N’ Go Challenge, sponsored by SchoolGrid, following a cook-off against two other school chefs at the Main Event.
The competition challenged school chefs to design, cook and serve a nutritious food item that can be eaten ‘on-the-go’ by youngsters. In the final competitors were required to prepare cook and present four portions of a grab & go/breaktime savoury snack with a total cost per head of 80p.
Having won her place as one of three finalists earlier in the year, she fought off tough competition with her veggie Caribbean pasty, designed with the children at her school, whose help with taste testing, developed her final recipe.
Angela commented: “I’m absolutely thrilled to have won LACA’s Grab ‘N’ Go Challenge! It’s an incredible honour to be recognised among so many talented individuals. The achievement reflects the hard work and dedication that went into crafting something both convenient and nutritious.
“Working with Nourish Catering has been a fantastic experience, and I’m grateful for the support from my team and the encouragement from the LACA community. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. This shows the children that no matter where you come from you can achieve great things. They will be thrilled with this.”
Angela received a £500 set of Wüsthof professional chef’s knives donated by SchoolGrid and enjoyed afternoon tea with LACA ambassador Mark Sargeant as part of her prize.
The team of judges on the day included head judge Mark Sargeant, SchoolGrid representative Lin O’Brien MBE, former School Chef of the Year(SCOTY) winner Holly Charnock and student judge Adam Curtis.
Dugald Curtis, chief executive of SchoolGrid, said: “SchoolGrid are immensely proud to sponsor the Grab ‘N’ Go Challenge. LACA has always been a champion of excellence in school food, and it has been a real pleasure to partner with them for this competition. Congratulations to the winner and everyone who took part.”
The school chefs were judged on the originality of their dish, how well the flavours and ingredients worked together, the variety of textures in the finished dish and the appealing look of their grab & go item.
Sargeant added: “As head judge of the Grab ‘N’ Go competition I was really impressed with all three school chefs who showcased how to create a great tasting grab and go snack for students. It was a close call, but Angela emerged victorious and the worthy winner. The competition showcased the high quality of school chefs across the country who work hard every day to ensure that children receive a hot, nutritious and delicious school meal.”
The finalists were Terry Howard (Radish All Good) from Monega Primary School and Jennifer Brown (OCS) from Sarum Academy.
