Winner of TUCO – KNORR chef of the year 2010 revealed

Andrew Wood of The University of York has been named the winner of the TUCO - KNORR Chef of the Year 2010 competition at the recent awards ceremony held at the Blackpool Hilton Hotel.

The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO) joined forces with Unilever Foodsolutions , through its KNORR brand, to set up a competition, which enables higher education chefs to showcase their culinary talents by designing a menu that is attractive and appealing to the ever-demanding student population.

The competition attracted entries from all over the UK. Competitors were required to devise a menu including a soup course, a main course using a 1kg free-range chicken as the main ingredient and a dessert, all within two hours.

Wood's menu included a roast sweet potato, coconut and smoked paprika soup with goat's cheese wontons, followed by Moroccan chicken on chermoula coucous with date and almond pastille and a harissa sauce.

His dessert consisted of a poached tamarillo with honey yoghurt Bavarois and brandysnap with blackcurrant sorbet.

Wood was thrilled to be named the overall winner and took home the first prize of a meal for two at The Room at The Elephant; Simon Hulstone's – current KNORR National Chef of the Year – restaurant, plus a knife set and trophy.

He said: "I entered the competition last year and was keen to be involved again. The event is so well organised and enjoyable; I really looked forward to competing. It was great to be able to use ingredients, like the KNORR products, which I use everyday at work in the kitchen, to create dishes that would sit perfectly on our menu. I felt elated when I was named the winner, it was an achievement I'd really set my sights on."

Oliver Prince from Emmanuel College and Dominic Faulke from Keele were named as the second and third runners-up respectively and each took home a knife set and trophy.

Words: Maria Bracken

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