Sophie Secures Her Place In The Futurechef Regional Final

The winners of the Princethorpe school round, Sophie Henry and Year 9, Finlay Ross, were tasked with preparing a two-course meal of French dishes in just one hour to serve to Mr Hester and Mr McCollin showcasing their food preparation and presentation skills.

Sophie prepared Coq au Vin with chicken and bacon served on mashed potatoes with parsley and olive oil. Her dessert was Tarte au Citron craquante. Finlay prepared Steak Lyonnaise with potatoes and green beans and Chocolate Gâteaux with strawberries and whipped cream. 

 The super-heat took place on Wednesday 30 November. Sophie and Finlay worked quickly, demonstrating technical skills and their finished plates of food were tantalising and full of flavour. The contestant's attention to detail was superb with plates polished, food presented artistically, and work surfaces scrubbed. 

The FutureChef competition challenges young people aged 12 to 16 who are keen to learn more about cooking, to cook their way through a series of rounds, allowing them to gain experience, meet professionals and develop their skills, all whilst learning invaluable lessons and getting an insight into the culinary industry.

It was a hard decision to choose between them and the judges deliberated carefully as they tasted the dishes and argued the pros and cons of first one dish and then another.

Teacher of Food Technology, Jacqui Scott said, “I am extremely proud of both of our Princethorpe competitors who put a lot of time and effort into menu planning and practising. The food they produced was of the highest standard and was beautifully presented. Both meals could have been served at a restaurant table. They were calm and collected throughout a tense 60 minutes and it was a very difficult decision.”

A very well done to both competitors, you clearly have the makings of a master chef.