Country Range Student Chef Challenge Winners’ Dinner at Restaurant Sat Bains

The 2018/19 Country Range Student Chef Challenge winners – Alan Coats, Ance Kristone and Andreau Talla – got a taste of what it’s like to be at the top of the culinary game after experiencing an exclusive dinner at Nucleus – a private room inside Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham.

The three students, who won the 2018/19 Country Range Student Chef Challenge as part of the City of Glasgow College team, were accompanied on their outing to the two Michelin star restaurant by Chris Basten, Vice President at the Craft Guild of Chefs and Chairman of Judges at the Country Range Student Chef Challenge.

As part of their special prize, the students were treated to a full tasting menu which featured Smoked Eel, Veal Sweetbread, Wild Mushroom Fricasee and a Garden Quiche.

The team were also given behind the scenes access after their stunning dinner to see how a professional Michelin star kitchen runs and to meet Sat, his head chef John Freeman and the rest of the team. To top it off the students were also handed a signed copy of Sat’s latest book ‘Too Many Chiefs Only One Indian’. Sat began his culinary career at the age of 18 at Derby College earning a City & Guilds qualification before going on to win the prestigious Roux Scholarship in 1999.

With this year’s Challenge still open for entries after the deadline was extended to December 18^th, the dinner gave the hopeful chefs a taste of what a future career in the industry could be like as the competition has been a springboard for students’ careers in the past.

Commenting on the night, Chris Basten said:

“The City of Glasgow College team were deserving winners of the 2018/19 Country Range Student Chef Challenge so it was fantastic they got to enjoy a meal from one of the country’s top chefs and see how a Michelin starred kitchen runs as part of their prize. Hopefully it will spur the three chefs on to further culinary greatness and entice other students who are thinking of entering this year’s Challenge to submit their team entry before the deadline.”

Country Range Student Chef Challenge

The Country Range Student Chef Challenge is a prestigious culinary competition which has become a firm fixture in the catering industry’s calendar.

Run in partnership with the Craft Guild of Chefs, who provide competition-standard judging and detailed feedback to the students, it has played a huge role in developing young chefs and talent around the UK, with previous winning teams being given the opportunity to compete at the Culinary Olympics and cook for the country’s leading chefs at the Craft Guild of Chefs Annual Awards.

CRSCC 2019/20 Brief

The 2019/20 Challenge will focus on how students can use classic techniques and skills to maximise the use of ingredients and reducing on food wastage. With this in mind, teams of three full-time catering students will be required to plan, prepare and present a three-course, four-cover meal in just 90 minutes. The cost per cover is £8 and the menu must include:

Starter – A flat fish, filleted and a sauce made from the bones. The dish must be served with appropriate garnish and must include one turned mushroom per portion

Main – Three bone loin of pork, the eye of the meat must be used. The trim is to be used for a separate element e.g. faggot, kebab or pie. The dish must be served with appropriate garnish including starch, vegetable and sauce

Dessert – A lemon tart with a modern twist

Applications, Timings and Deadlines

The challenge is now open to student chefs and college lecturers across the UK and Ireland to enter by visiting www.countryrangestudentchef.co.uk. The deadline for entries is December 18th.

Teams will compete in regional heats in the last week of January to the first week of February 2020 before the victorious students face-off in the grand final, which will this year take place at the Hospitality, Catering and Restaurant (HRC) Show at London’s ExCel on March 3^rd 2020.

The 2018/19 Challenge Winners

The 2018/19 Challenge saw Alan Coats, Ance Kristone and Andreau Talla help City of Glasgow College win the title for the second consecutive year in a hotly contested final at ScotHot, Scotland’s biggest food, drink and hospitality show. As part of their prize, the talented trio won a unique opportunity to undertake a work experience at a Michelin-starred restaurant, as well as being taken on a foodie tour of London which included a visit to the capital’s iconic Billingsgate Market.

About the Country Range Group

With over 25 years of heritage servicing the UK and Ireland’s innovative foodservice sector, the Country Range Group is made up of 13 independent wholesalers – Birchall Foodservice, Blakemore Foodservice, Caterite Foodservice, Creed Foodservice, Dunns Food and Drinks, EFG Foodservice, Harvest Fine Foods, Henderson Foodservice,  Savona Foodservice, Savona Foodservice South West, Thomas Ridley Foodservice, Trevors Foodservice and Turner Price.

In addition to offering the leading brands from around the globe, the Group also provides over 800 products, all developed exclusively for professional caterers under the Country Range brand. Covering grocery, chilled, frozen and non-food, Country Range is widely recognised by caterers as a trusted and reliable brand delivering consistent quality and value for money without compromising on taste and flavour.

Website: www.countryrange.co.uk

Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @countryrangeuk