Loughborough College has been celebrating success as three of our young chefs reach the prestigious UK Young Restaurant Team of the Year grand final after competing in an intense semi-final last Tuesday at the Gordon Ramsay Academy in Woking.
After winning the title last year, hospitality and catering students were chosen at the semi-final for this year’s grand final in June.
The trio representing Loughborough College and the Radmoor Restaurant will be Level 3 students Beth Williams, Chris Goater, and Isobel Bailey. They will be competing with seven other colleges from across the country.
Loughborough College first entered the competition in 2016 and won top prizes in 2017, 2018, and 2022.
Chef Lecturer and Hospitality Lead at the College, Darren Creed, commented, “I’m absolutely over the moon for the team. They have all worked so hard on the dishes; the presentation of the table and the wine pairings to make it to the final is such a massive achievement. We are so proud of them.”
The trio will get the opportunity to meet various celebrity chefs in the final. With Beth and Chris working in the kitchen and Izzy front of house, they’ll now be refining their menus to be ready for the final showdown in June.
The team will cook a seafood starter and beef main in the final and use two specialist MSK ingredients. They’ll have to serve restaurant guests and judges a three-course menu in the final.
The UK Young Restaurant Team of the Year’s tenth annual grand final will take place on Wednesday, 28 June, in Sheffield during the Skills for Chefs annual conference, and the team will be invited to an audience with Marco Pierre White event.
The prize for the winners is a study trip to a Gastronomic destination for three nights in October, including flights, accommodation, and meals.
The team will attend an Awards dinner on Thursday, 29 June, when the winners will be announced.