2020 Brakes Scotland Student Hospitality Challenge open for entries

Leading foodservice supplier, Brakes Scotland has launched the 2020 Student Hospitality Challenge, with a high volume and calibre of entrants expected following a record-breaking 2019 competition.

The annual Scottish competition, this year welcomes Seafood Scotland to help promote the competition’s theme with last year’s sponsors HIT Scotland and Scottish Chefs remaining true partners. This competition has become an eagerly anticipated fixture on the college and university calendar and offers a great opportunity for all hospitality and catering college students to showcase their culinary skills, while developing ‘real life’ catering skills.

Michael Henderson, Chef Lecturer from the 2019 competition winning team, at Fife College, said: “The benefits are unbelievable – with students building confidence and ambition while developing new skills, with a particular focus on team work.”

The theme for the 2020 Challenge is ‘The Year of Coasts and Waters’, Brakes Scotland are asking teams to present a food and drinks menu that embraces all that is good about our Scottish coastlines with the dessert stipulating all teams must create a Meringue Swan. All dishes should be stylish, beautifully presented and demonstrate great technique as well as being packed full of clearly defined aromas, textures and flavours that complement rather than overcomplicate.

Food and drink menus must be produced using a combined maximum of £25 worth of ingredients per cover and should be balanced with the three courses working well together. Teams are encouraged to use local and regional ingredients to ensure the judges get a real flavour of the diversity and quality of Scotland’s larder.

Competition judge and President of the Scottish Chefs, Kevin MacGillvray, said: “The Brakes Hospitality Challenge offers talented and passionate young chefs the perfect opportunity to demonstrate their ability to work in the unique, pressurised environment of a professional kitchen.”

Clare MacDougall, Trade Marketing Manager from Seafood Scotland, said: “Seafood Scotland is delighted to support the Student Hospitality Challenge 2020, which, this year incorporates a seafood focussed menu to promote the ‘Year of Coast and Waters’. The importance of young chefs working with Scottish seafood is two-fold, firstly it helps them to hone their skills early in their careers to master signature dishes using fish and seafood and it creates the next generation of seafood advocates to promote our amazing array of species. I am really looking forward to seeing what interesting and exciting dishes are prepared for the competition.”

John McLintock, Operations Director at Brakes Scotland added: “Providing support for young talent within the foodservice industry is absolutely vital and the Brakes Student Hospitality Challenge is a fantastic vehicle to nurture that potential and give the students the opportunity to obtain experience and new skills. The calibre of entrants is always exceptional and last year we had more entries than ever before so I’m anticipating great things for this year’s competition.

This year’s winning chef team will receive a supplier field trip to Shetland to see rope grown mussels with an overnight stay. Separate to this, The Scottish Chefs have kindly offered a full learning experience at the winning college including a competition workshop and two tickets to the Scottish Chefs conference in November. The winning front of hour pair will receive a three-day work experience placement at a top hotel in the UK kindly sponsored by HIT Scotland.

In addition to these unique prizes, all students who attend the final will receive a competition jacket and framed certificate.

For more information, and details on how to enter, visit brake.co.uk/shop-our-brands/brakes-scotland/chef-challenge

The closing date for entries is 4th May 2020. Updates from the competition can also be found on Instagram: BrakesScotland or Twitter: Brakes_Scotland