LVS Ascot Pupil Wins High Praise From Great British Bake Off Contestant

24 Nov 2015

LVS Ascot is celebrating pupil success after providing the youngest ever winner of the Rotary Club of Ascot Young Chef Competition on Tuesday.

Jamie Kedwards, 12, who won the opportunity to represent the leading independent all-ability school against other local schools by winning a House Cooking competition, took on three rivals in a competition screened live on the LVS Ascot website.

The level of competition was high but Jamie won by a very clear margin and was commended by the judges, including 2014 Great British Bake Off quarter-finalist Martha Collison, for his highly advanced skills, outstanding presentation and innovative menu.  Martha said: “Jamie was brilliant. The skills he has at his age are insane. His risotto was the best I have ever tasted, and made with such speed. We were only supposed to sample the meals but Jamie’s cheesecake was so good we ate it all!”

Jamie was presented with a large cup and medal to celebrate his achievements, and is now preparing for the Regional Finals in February where he will have to prepare a 3 course healthy menu in 2 hours with a £15 budget.

LVS Ascot Head of Design and Technology Christine Henderson said: “Jamie has shown exceptional skills in the kitchen since he started cooking with us in Year 7 and we have been able to develop that in lessons. We always look for ways to inspire pupils to be enthusiastic about their subjects, so Jamie took part in our Jamie Oliver live cook along last year and his passion for cooking seems to have really taken off since then. Jamie worked entirely independently to create his exceptional menu and was supported with practice cooking sessions by Food Teacher Mrs Holloway”.

Jamie cooked a delightful and complex menu which was carefully executed and beautifully presented, impressing the judges with his knowledge, skills and distinctive flavours. For his main course he made seared scallops on a bed of elderberry risotto, (hand-picked elderberries for his home made cordial), accompanied by smoked pecan bark biltong with a wild sorrel butter. The judges particularly praised his delicious dessert, which was goats cheese cheesecake, honey and cinnamon glazed fig and tuile leaf biscuits served with homemade elderberry cordial.

The runner up was a pupil from Ranelagh School who was presented with a plaque. Medals were awarded to Charters and St Mary’s Ascot for third and fourth place respectively.

 

Photo:  LVS Ascot pupil Jamie Kedwards prepares his winning entry in the Ascot Rotary Young Chef competition