Ben Finn secures place at LACA’s SCOTY national final
The penultimate regional final took place at Barnsley College and involved four other school chefs from the region. Malachy Pharncote-Rowe from Ponteland School (Pele Trust) was named as the runner-up.
The ten SCOTY regional final winners automatically qualify for the national final, which is taking place at the LACA Main Event. Up to two wildcard chefs could be selected to join them from the chefs who finished as runners-up in their heat.
For his main course Finn created chicken & mushroom pie topped with parmesan mash served with braised leeks & carrots. He made a dessert of roasted and caramelised apple, flapjack and crème patissiere.
The competition is open to all kitchen-based staff involved in the daily preparation of pupils’ meals in schools across the UK whether from a local authority or contract-catered site, managed in-house, academy school or part of a Multi-Academy Trust.
Regional final winners will each receive a £100 cash prize. At the national final, the 2024 national winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize, the 2025 LACA School Chef of the Year trophy and an invitation to a calendar of catering industry events. The national second and third place winners will receive £500 and £300 respectively.
The last regional final will take place on Thursday 8th May at Weston College to determine the winner of the South West regional final.