LACA starts search for 2023 School Chef of the Year

School food association LACA has started the search for the next School Chef of the Year (SCOTY), which is sponsored by Bisto.

The SCOTY competition is open to all kitchen-based staff involved in the daily preparation of pupils’ meals in schools across the UK, whether from a local authority or contract-catered site, managed in-house, academy school or part of a Multi-Academy Trust.

The national final will once again be held at the LACA Main Event on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th July at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole with the overall winner announced on the evening of Thursday 6th July.

At the national final, the 2023 national winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize, the 2023 LACA School Chef of the Year trophy and an invitation to a calendar of catering industry events. The national second and third place winners will receive £500 and £300 respectively.

Tom Armstrong, employed by Mellors Catering Services and chef manager at Shelley College in Huddersfield, won the 2022 SCOTY competition. He served up Tandoori Quorn & Onion Bhaji in the ‘Grab and Go’ class before going on to deliver an Indian spiced Quorn Cottage Pie, served with crushed Bombay potatoes, butter sauce and greens. His dessert of Coconut milk panna cotta with mango puree and freeze dried raspberries completed the meal.

The deadline for entries is to be received by Friday 2nd March 2023.