A school cook from West Yorkshire has scooped a coveted national title.
Tracy Healy has been named LACA School Chef of the Year 2017 by a panel of judges at the national final, which was held at Stratford upon Avon College, Warwickshire. The annual competition is organised annually by LACA (Lead Association for Catering in Education) and is sponsored by Maggi Professional.
Tracy’s winning dishes were:
• Lamb kofta with coconut rice served with flatbread and mint salad
• Rhubarb fool with ginger crunch
Tracy works at Ravensthorpe Junior School, Dewsbury, where she caters for 280 pupils between 7–11 years. Having worked in the catering industry since leaving school, she has wide experience. She said: “I am so proud to have won the national title. With the skill amongst this year’s finalists being so high, I felt it was an achievement in itself to compete with such a talented group of people. All of this just goes to prove what a good job school chefs do, day in, day out, up and down the country to provide tasty, nutritious meals for millions of children.”
Sally Shadrack, LACA national chair, said: “My congratulations go to Tracy Healy. Her success in taking the national title is a major achievement given the exceptionally high standard of culinary skills of all of this year’s finalists. LACA School Chef of the Year is a fantastic way of showing why every school should be striving for a high quality school meals service.”
