Beer young chef picks up 2nd in national cook-off

A young chef from Beer won second place in national cookery competition organised by Rotary International.

Zoe Sing, 15, created a stunning three-course meal in under two hours at the grand final of the Great Britain & Ireland Young Chef competition at Stratford-upon-Avon College.

The judging panel included Valentine Warner, chef and TV presenter, Susan Low, the editor of Delicious magazine, Walter Zanr�, managing director of competition sponsors Filippo Berio, last year’s winner Caitlin Grainger and Richard Walker, from fine food suppliers Wild Harvest.

Zoe impressed with her starter of pea puree with Thai prawns and pea shoots, main course of duck breast with creamed cabbage, fried butternut squash and chicory tarts served with a cherry sauce, finishing off with a dark chocolate mousse with hazelnut praline.

She had earned her place at the final by winning the regional final in Cornwall earlier this year, and joined six others from thousands of entrants to the competition in cooking a healthy three-course meal for two people within a budget of just �15.

Judge Valentine Warner said: “This has been a tremendous day, an incredible experience. What I would say to all of them is to taste their food as they go to make sure they really know how the flavours are working together as they should.”

Denis Spiller, Chair of RIBI Youth Opportunities, said: “RIBI Young Chef was created to give young people across Great Britain and Ireland the chance to display their creative talents with food, while discovering the importance of healthy eating.”