Budding chefs at Middlesbrough College had their best bait judged by one of the Government’s top seafood champions recently.
In an exciting cook-off event, teams of Middlesbrough College catering students battled it out to serve up a tasty seafood meal.
The challenge was all part of Seafood Week – an annual national campaign to promote British fish and shellfish – and Julie Snowden of the organisation Seafish judged students’ efforts.
Winners Annabel Simpson, a Year 2 student on the FD Culinary Arts Management course and Joe Metcalfe, a Year 1 student on the same course, beat their classmates with a stunning plate of seabass, pesto and seasonal vegetables.
Molly Shaher, curriculum team leader for Catering, Hospitality and Fashion Retail at Middlesbrough College, said: “We have a first class catering department at Middlesbrough College and the students were excited to go head-to-head in this challenge.
“Our students recently visited Grimsby fish market, Young’s Seafood and Grimsby Seafood Village – an eye-opening trip that showed them behind the scenes of the seafood industry and helped them understand where their ingredients come from.
“As a way to show our appreciation was only right that we invited Julie Snowden of Seafish to come along to the College and taste what the students had to offer.”
The competing teams were given 30 mins in which to prepare the meals in Middlesbrough College’s industry-leading kitchen facilities.
Julie Snowden added: “I was delighted to visit the students at the College following on from their recent study tour to Grimsby.
“I had showed them the seafood industry from sea to plate and to receive a return invitation to watch them prepare and then taste the various seafood dishes was a great way to celebrate Seafood Week.
“It was the first project of its kind in the area and I am really pleased that it was such a success.”