A slice of skill, a pinch of panache and a dash of determination were the perfect recipe for success at the Welsh Culinary Championships where Coleg Gwent Hospitality & Catering students scooped top prizes last month.
The team of four from Coleg Gwent’s Crosskeys Campus showed off their cooking skills against 200 students from colleges across Wales and the north west at the competition at Coleg Llandrillo – from sautéing chicken and filleting fish to preparing cuts of fruit and vegetables.
The students were also tested on their skills outside the kitchen with competitions in napkin folding and table presentation. Judges then awarded gold silver and bronze medals, as well as Diplomas and Merits of achievement.
Eighteen-year-old Aaron Morgan from Ringland triumphed, winning gold for hygiene, silver in cooking & serving and bronze for the preparation of his lemon sole cold starter; topped off with a quartet of merits for his pasta dish, bistro sandwiches, afternoon tea and omelettes. Aarron, who is hoping to turn his current part time job at the Celtic Manor into a full time career when he finishes College in the summer, said: “It was a great experience! It was good to work under pressure as it’s useful preparation for working in a real kitchen in a restaurant. We got some great feedback from the top chefs who judged the competition, which is very encouraging for the future.”
Aarron explains what he thinks was the key to the team’s success: “Many of the competitors tried to do complex dishes and complicated techniques which weren’t always as successful as they’d hoped. We kept our dishes simple and did them really well, which certainly worked for us.”
Sam Lewis, 18 from Cwmbran, also proved he’s the cream of the crop, winning gold the hygiene, silver in his preparation of moules mariniere, silver for cooking & serving, bronze for his trout dish and a trio of merits for chicken chasseur, his vegetarian dish and omelettes. Sam was over the moon with his performance: “I was really nervous as there were loads of people watching and we had to work against the clock but it was fantastic experience. As well as coming away with medals, we were given great advice from the judges on how to improve.”
Also celebrating was 18-year-old Ashley Frampton from Newport, who gained a bronze for omelettes and merits for chicken cut for sauté, afternoon tea, filleting fish, vegetables cuts and fruit cuts. Jordan Griffiths (19 from Newport) was also awarded a gold for his table setting, bronze for napkin folding and bronze for cooking & serving.
Hospitality & Catering lecturer Mark Jameson helped the students prepare for the competition and accompanied them to the event. He’s really proud of what they achieved: “As well as competing in their various categories, the students were able to watch other competitors which was a fantastic opportunity to learn from others in the industry – it was a great confidence builder for them.”
