Chefs in the Making!
30 June 2023
MasterCook 2023 has been an exceptional year, with more boys than ever taking part to showcase their culinary flare and passion. There was over 40 boys competing for the Middle School MasterCook title!
Selecting 11 boys to go through to the Middle School Final was no mean feat, Mrs Rowland and Mr Miles had a tough decision to make as so many of the boys were cooking to such a high standard. All boys who took part should be rightfully proud of themselves. The amount of dedication and practice that went into every menu was immense.
Laurie Gear deliberated for some time to select the winners and made his final decision based on the overall balance of the menu and presentation as a whole. He was extremely impressed at the level of cooking, commitment and passion shown by all boys who took part.
Congratulations to Nico A (Year 5) for coming 1st overall in Middle School. Nico humbly looked behind when Laurie Gear pointed him out as the winner as he was in such disbelief. However, he well and truly deserved the win with the incredible flavours combined in both of his dishes. Nico plated up a main course of Chicken Shawarma with Tomato, Cucumber, Red Onion Parsley Salad and accompanied with Pitta Bread and a Rose Water drink. His Tahini and Halva Brownies were delicious. All boys who sampled his dishes agreed that they were exceptional. The winning prize being a 5 course meal for 2 at The Artichoke in Amersham.
John R (Year 6) was very close 2nd place. He selected an outstanding array of dishes including his Trio of Tuna – Tuna Sashimi, Tuna Tartare, Fried Lotus Root, and Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna Bites. He had also grown his own selection of cress for his creative zingy green dressing that accompanied one of the dishes. John produced a unique twist on a Tiramisu serving up a Matcha Tea Tiramisu. His presentation was MICHELIN-star worthy and his experimentation with flavours was extraordinary. John has won a gift voucher for Pluma in Amersham.
Cameron O (Year 6) AKA the next Gordon Ramsey (as stated by Laurie Gear) created an exceptionally flavoursome menu. Laurie Gear commented that his balance of seasoning and flavours showed incredible natural talent. His restaurant-worthy Scallops with Black Pudding and Pea Puree followed by Lamb Ribs with Feta and Avocado Salad showed simplicity elevated to greatness. Cameron has won a Masterchef Cook Book.
The main focus of the competition is to develop our boys’ life skills and passion for cooking. Mrs Rowland is keen to encourage our boys to keep themselves healthy with the knowledge and skills that they have mastered in Cooking and Nutrition lessons. As well as having an appreciation and respect for ingredients used.
Well done to all our boys from Years 4 to 8 who took part in the competition this year. We will look forward to seeing what all our budding chefs have to present for next year’s MasterCook.
A big thank you to all parents for facilitating all of the shopping, cleaning and of course eating the same dish many times over, which was needed for such a successful cook-off. There was certainly some premium produce on the menu’s including red snapper, scallops, steak and crayfish!
