Young Chef 2025

Young Chefs in Action.

The Rotary Young Chef Competition is a nationwide event that gives young people the opportunity to test their culinary skills against those of their peers. The competition is held over successive elimination rounds that culminate in the national final to be held in April 2025. The Rotary Club of Penrith, in conjunction with the food teachers at QEGS and UCC, held their local competition on Thursday 23rd January to select the best young chefs to go forward to the next round. Penrith Schools have had a good track record at this event over the years and recently a young chef from QEGS won the national title.

There were twelve Year 10 students from QEGS and UCC taking part in the competition. The contestants had 2 hours to prepare a two-course meal within a budget of £18. As always, the quality of the dishes presented to the judges was well up to the remarkably high standard of cookery we have come to expect from this event. So, the young chefs made it a tough task for the two professional judges:  Pat Russell of the Lake District School of Food and Wine, and Henry Wu the Head Chef at the Roundthorn Country House Hotel who had to choose the best young chef from each school and the overall runner-up. They decided that the winners were Estella Bird (QEGS) and Leyla Fussell (UCC) and the runner-up was Claudia Muirhead (QEGS). All three were awarded a small retail voucher and the opportunity to go through to the next round at the Lakes School, Troutbeck Bridge on the 13^th February.  All the contestants received thoroughly deserved certificates and cookery books to mark their participation in the competition.

Presenting the prizes, Rotarian Alex Buchan congratulated the contestants on their skill and commitment and said that supporting young people would always be a priority with the Penrith Rotary Club.

The competing Young Chefs, seen here, were as follows:

QEGS

Estella Bird

Claudia Muirhead

Addison Jonker

Emma Dawson

Grace Jenkinson

Emily Stackhouse

Lisa Tolmie

Madeleine Murray

UCC

Sam Bland

Harry Hughes

Leyla Fussell

Ellie Swinson