Dornoch Academy pupil tastes success in first round of cooking contest with 'lovely risotto'
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A PUPIL from the Dornoch Firth Campus group of schools has gathered a taste of success by winning through the first round of the Springboard FutureChef competition 2023, writes Peter Newman.
Dornoch Academy pupil Tyler Ross, 15, was cooking against a pupil from Golspie High School at the initial local stage. Tyler cooked an egg-topped risotto and was highly commended for his skills.
As well as certificates, Tyler won a recipe book featuring potential dishes from a host of the UK’s most celebrated chefs ,and mentoring with the head chef of the prestigious Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, Eddie Brown.
The next round is to be held in Elgin in early February. Tyler will have to produce two portions of a hot main course and two portions of a hot or cold dessert, all within a cooking time of 90 minutes and with a budget of only £10.
At this stage, he will be presented with a chef’s jacket and apron with his name embroidered on it. He will also be competing against the seven other local finalists from the North of Scotland on the day.
Tyler was delighted to have won. He said: “I really enjoyed the competition. I hope to become a chef when I leave school and getting the chance to cook for the judges was amazing. I’m really looking forward to the next round and am already thinking about what I will cook. I need to make sure I’m a bit tidier in my working as well as to focus on my timings.”
The head judge for the north, Graeme Strachan said: “Tyler produced a lovely risotto topped with a perfectly cooked egg. His knife skills were excellent for someone of his age and he showed good composure throughout the cooking.”
Norman Ross, head teacher for the Dornoch Firth Campus said: “We were all delighted to hear about Tyler’s success in the first round of the competition. Tyler has shown real enthusiasm for the task and is working hard to improve his skills to progress as far as he can. Everyone in the school community is supporting him and we look forward to seeing just how far Tyler can go.”
Springboard's FutureChef is a schools-based programme aimed at developing young people's life skills.
