A pupil studying food and nutrition at George Eliot Academy has won the regional final of Springboard’s FutureChef competition thanks to her clever culinary skills. Diana M from Year 10 is now busy practicing ahead of the final which is due to take place on 14 March 2022 at Westminster Kingsway College in London. The event will be hosted by TV chef Brian Turner, Chairman of FutureChef.
Springboard’s FutureChef is the biggest culinary schools-based programme in the UK. It supports the development of key life skills whilst inspiring young people to pursue an exciting career within the hospitality and catering sector. FutureChef supports the national curriculum and inspires young people to learn how to cook. Diana was supported by her teacher, Sharon Martini, who is the Midland Academies Trust lead for food preparation and nutrition.
Sharon said, “Diana reached the regional heats after triumphing over her peers locally. To secure her winning position, she successfully recreated a traditional Romanian dish called bulz which is made with polenta.
“Diana was assigned a chef mentor from the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts who worked with her both in person and online, helping to decide on the best menus, and to fine tune the recipes and develop the skills to create the perfect dish.”
Diana triumphed in her regional heat, which was held in a professional environment at Stoke-on-Trent College, by producing a salmon and plaice terrine and a traditional Romanian dessert called lapte de pasare made with a crème anglaise and poached vanilla meringue.
Homeira Zakary, Principal of George Eliot Academy said, “Congratulations to Diana who is a credit to the school and won the praise of all the FutureChef judges. We wish her the best of luck in the final stages of the competition which will be a fantastic experience that we are sure she will enjoy.”
