The Vegan Society Catering Challenge Winners
The winners were officially announced on World Vegan Day, 1 November
Nov 15, 2008
The Challenge took place on Monday 27th October 2008 at the Tante Marie School of Cookery in Woking, Surrey (UK). The event was expertly captured by veggie food photographer Chava Eichner of flavourphotos.com, who kindly provided the pictures illustrating this article.
The Vegan Society Challenge Winners
The winners of the Vegan Catering Challenge were officially announced at the West Midlands Vegan Festival in Wolverhampton on World Vegan Day, Saturday 1st November. They were:
- Paul Russell (photo #1), a Lecturer in Hospitality and Culinary Arts Management at University College Birmingham, scooped first prize (a cheque for £500).
- Second prize (£200) was secured by Peter Walters, Executive Chef, Keele University based at Keele Hall – ‘the premier conference and fine dining experience in Staffordshire’.
- Third prize (£100) was went to Richard Craig, Competing Chef at University of Glasgow Hospitality Services.
The other finalists were John Bayley (owner of Cashew - Creative Vegetarian and Vegan Catering, in Lewes, East Sussex); Wayne Shooter (Chef at HMP Whatton near Nottingham); and Terry Woolcock(Executive Chef at Hatherley Manor Hotel).
Winner Paul Russel on Designing a Vegan Menu
The winner, Paul Russel, said “I am delighted to be able to showcase this fascinating cuisine. Designing a vegan menu really highlights the creativity of the chef and requires considerable planning in terms of flavours, textures and nutritional value. The competition is also a great opportunity to prove to the industry that vegan food can be just as exciting and diverse as any other cuisine.”
Award-Winning Vegan Dishes
Paul Russell’s winning menu consisted of:
- Soupe au Pistou with a Potato Ravioli (pictured in photo #2);
- Crisp Fried Baby Artichokes in a Poppy Seed Coating, Served on a Pea and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto, with a Cashew Aioli (photo #3);
- Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake with Cherries (photo#4).
Peter Walter’s Grilled Portabella Mushroom Topped with a Beignet of Chilli Bean Mousse on Puy Lentil Sauce with Smoked Paprika and Baby Beets particularly impressed judges.
Richard Craig’s starter, Sweet Potato and Butternut Corn Cake with Minted Pea and Red Pepper Taster, Organic Herb-Baked Crunch, Pesto and Fajita Salsa, was also especially praised.
The Competition Judges
The panel of judges featured:
- Chad Sarno, Executive Chef of Saf Restaurant;
- Christine Tilbury, Head of the imaginative and innovative Cordon Vert Cookery School;
- Andrew Maxwell, Managing Director and Principal of the renowned cordon bleu Tante Marie School of Cookery.
The Vegan Society
Founded in 1944, The Vegan Society promotes vegan lifestyles. These exclude all forms of exploitation of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose, as far as is possible and practical.
Vegan Catering for All
The Vegan Society's Vegan Catering for All project aims to improve the quality and availability of vegan food. Good vegan food is an appealing solution for caterers because it's tasty, healthy, ethical and cuts carbon footprint.
Free Vegan Catering Booklets
The Vegan Society offers free advice on getting the most from vegan food. Three free full-colour booklets on vegan catering - Vegan Catering for All, Vegan Catering Guide for Hospitals and Care Homes and Plant Based Nutrition - may be requested through The Vegan Society website.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
