BBC Radio 4 looks to reward public sector caterers

BBC Radio 4's Food and Farming Awards are back and the search is now on to reward those who have made significant contributions to the world of food, drink and catering.

Described as "one of the most inspiring categories" is Best Dinner Lady or Man. 

"Whether it's in a school, a hospital, a care home, or the workplace – this is awarded to a cook who provides a wide range of healthy, tasty food in any institutional setting. We're looking for meals prepared on the premises with fresh, carefully sourced ingredients," say the organisers.

Other categories include Best Takeaway, Best Food Market and Food Personality of the Year. 

Previous winners of the Best Dinner Lady or Man award have come from all corners of public sector catering. 

In 2003 Jeanette Orrey was primarily known as the Catering Manager at St Peter's Primary school. But it was her work providing good food and using local ingredients that marked her out as that year's winner.

2007 saw Hugh MacLennan employed at Ruislip High Secondary School, London. He had set up a breakfast club, break and lunch time foods and made use of a chefs club to get students involved in preparing meals. He also found a way to address a problem prevalent in many schools – the lack of kitchens. Hugh set up Ruislip High as a "hub" kitchen, using high tech systems to create good, healthy boxed up meals to ship out to other local schools, allowing them access to quality food without having to built new kitchens, and allowing the kitchens at Ruislip High to generate more income through economies of scale. 

Al Crisci, Catering Manager at HM High Down Prison won in 2005 due to his efforts in this often overlooked sector of the catering industry. Hi commitment to using fresh ingredients, including getting the prison gardens growing for the kitchen, and to helping inmates to gain catering qualifications during their time working in the kitchens proved an inspiration to the judges. He later opened up Clink – a fine dining restaurant within the prison.

Food Programme presenter Sheila Dillon says: "We hope in this 10th anniversary year to find another dinner lady like Jeannette Orrey who with Jamie Oliver sparked a revolution."

Nominations for the Food and Farming Awards 2009 are now open and for details on category criteria, and how to nominate visit: www.bbc.co.uk/foodawards

Closing date for entries is August 31st 2009.

This year's winners will be featured on BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme and Farming Today , as well as on BBC Local Radio. The awards ceremony will be broadcast in a special awards edition of The Food Programme in November.

Words: Clare Riley

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