Richard Hardy, a Chef Manager at Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust (BWCET) not only won the North East and Scotland regional final for School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) 2024 but in his first year of entering the competition has achieved 2nd place in the national final, following a ’45-minute’ intensive discussion by the judging panel including Michelin-starred chef Mark Sargeant.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the competition is run by LACA and aims to demonstrate the importance of high-quality cooking in school meals. This stand-out school catering event allows school chefs from up and down the country to not only showcase and develop their skills, but to also put their school food on the map.
The SCOTY competition aims to show the high quality of school meals and the contribution they make to the health and wellbeing of children. First place went to Jennifer Brown representing the South West region whilst third place was won by Paul Hardy representing the North West region.
Chefs had just 90 minutes to make two dishes that met strict judges’ briefs around nutrition, meeting the School Food Standards and Eat Well Guide and at a set cost. Richard impressed the judges with his dish called “East meets West”, harmoniously blending global cultures and flavours, consisting of a trio of Yorkshire puddings flavoured with Indian spices and stuffed with tandoori chicken, lentil and squash dahl and keema turkey all served with a red onion salad and mint yoghurt. For dessert, Richard prepared a coconut, lime, and mango cheesecake, with a coconut biscuit base which he called a ‘Slice of Paradise’.
Nick Hurn OBE, CEO of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust said: “School meals continue to improve and we congratulate Richard on this amazing achievement at his first national final. We are absolutely delighted that his talents and abilities have been independently recognised, and we are incredibly proud of him – our children’s wellbeing is at the heart of our Trust as we seek to enable everyone to flourish.”
The in-house school catering team is dedicated to using the freshest ingredients, with top grade meats and other goods sourced locally to minimise its carbon footprint as part of its dedication to sustainability. The team caters to all pupils’ specific allergies and dietary requirements with regular training offered to ensure staff stay on top of important allergen information and global market changes.
Richard is part of a team of 150 passionate, dedicated and skilled catering professionals at Bishop Wilkinson, serving more than 1.2 million school meals each year. Whilst he has worked at the school for many years, Richard has an impressive background, previously working in prestige establishments including The Spa Hotel, Saltburn. Richard added “I’m not sure what to say, I cannot believe that I’ve got 2nd place at the national final and I am completely blown away by the whole experience.”
