A team of students from University College Birmingham were today (Friday) crowned 2010 Nestlé Toque d'Or champions at an awards ceremony at London's Dorchester hotel.
They beat teams from Petroc (North Devon), the College of West Anglia, Warrington Collegiate and York College in the grand final where each team served a three-course lunch to 100 paying guests at the BBC Good Food Show Summer, held at the NEC in June.
The team of six, mentored by Andreas Antona of Simpsons, prepared a meal of slow-cooked organic Shetland salmon, asparagus mayonnaise, quail's egg and avruga caviar followed by roast loin of Cornish lamb, green beans, feta and chickpea, radish and lovage jus, and finishing with caramel and chocolate parfait and espresso ice-cream.
Head judge James Tanner, who runs Tanners Restaurant in Plymouth with his brother, Chris, was impressed with the level of skill displayed by the team. He said: "The commitment and the sheer natural talent in this team was clear from the very beginning. All six students showed 100% passion and really rose to the challenge."
The team will be guests of Nestlé Professional at the Bocuse d'Or in January 2011 in Lyon, while the college will receive £4,000-worth of catering equipment from the Savoy Education Trust.
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By Diane Lane
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