Winners of LACA Finishing Touches revealed

McDougalls is proud to sponsor the LACA Finishing Touches compettion. Organised in association with the Craft Guild of Chefs, the competition is aimed at staff employed in any aspect of education catering capable of producing craft pieces.

The competition provides entrants with the opportunity to show off their skills, which would not normally be seen during their everyday profession. Each Best in Class winner received £100 and the Best in Show winner won a further £250. Abdul Mahdoul from Newcastle City Council was named as the Finishing Touches Best in Show winner at the LACA Main Event.

Sarah Robb, foodservice marketing manager at Premier Foods said: “We love sponsoring this event as you get to see some of the hidden talents of school chefs which you may not get to witness on a day to day basis when they are following strict recipe guidelines. With McDougalls being a much-loved baking brand, our products are often seen in school kitchens and so it’s a perfect fit for showcasing the creativity and skills that school chefs have. Congratulations to everyone who entered, there were some really impressive entries and very worthy winners.”

Steve Munkley, vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs director for Finishing Touches Salon, commented: “It was good to see the number of this years entries getting back to pre pandemic levels and some super dishes presented for tasting or on show. The members of LACA really put a lot of hard work in to the entries making the judges jobs really difficult in choosing the winning entry for each category.

“I believe we presented more gold medals than we have for many years and the Best in Show choice was just a perfect tray bake to serve to students of all ages with the textual mix of a wonderful gooey Brownie topped with some caramel crispy cornflakes a dream to eat.”

The full 2023 Finishing Touches results are as follows:

• 50% Fruit Dessert: Rebecca Britton, Impact Food Group (Gold)
• Biscuits: Mark Kent, Impact Food Group (Silver)
• Cake Suitable for a Special Diet: Lee Hodgson, HCL (Gold)
• Cheesecake: Catherine Hudson, Taylor Shaw (Silver)
• Cupcakes: Danielle Fuidge, Twelve15 (Gold)
• Decorated Celebration Cake: Katrina Denbigh, HCL (Gold)
• Filled and/or Coverage Sponge, Gateau or Cake: Alex Gafton, Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate (Gold)
• Floral Sugarcraft Display Piece: Rachel Kirk, Taylor Shaw (Bronze)
• Individual Fruit Tart: Nicki Barnard, Norse Catering (Silver)
• Tray Bake: Abdul Mahdoul, Newcastle City Council (Gold- Best in Show winner)
• Vegetarian Quiche: Ben Gregson, Caterlink Ltd (Gold)