CookIt! 2008 Final - Practice Makes Perfect
CookIt! 2007 winner enjoys her prize
Cook It! 2007
Cook It! 2007 finalists
CookIt! 2006 Winner enjoys her prize
CookIt! 2007 winner enjoys her prize
Cook It! 2007
Cook It! 2007 finalists
CookIt! 2006 Winner enjoys her prize
CookIt! 2008 Final - Practice Makes Perfect  2008 CookIt! Winner Serena Jayne Moriarty Seven children between the ages of 10 and 14 wowed the judges with their confidence, ability and passion as they cooked a two-course meal in 1½ hours in the finals of CookIt! - The Guild of Food Writers annual cooking competition – which took place on Thursday 22 May in the BBC Good Food kitchens.  This year’s winner is Serena Jayne Moriarty, who comes from Worthing in West Sussex. Serena Jayne, aged 14, impressed judges Xanthe Clay (Saturday Telegraph) and Stuart Gillies (executive chef Boxwood Cafe in London) with an ambitious Fillet of Pollack with Herb Butter wrapped in Bacon and Squidgy Chocolate and Raspberry Puddings with perfect chocolate tuiles. Surprised at winning the first prize of a weekend in London spending a morning in the kitchens of Giorgio Locatelli, Serena Jayne admitted that she had made her puddings about ten times and wasn’t really happy with the result the day before!  Nicola Logan (pictured right), aged 13, from the Isle of Man, is already making food for her local farmers market and will be helping The Hairy Bikers when they prepare a barbecue for 2000 this summer! Nicola came a very close second with her Sea Bream with Thai Green Tapenade and French Toast with Caramelised Apples. Judge Mike Robinson (of The Pot Kiln in Berkshire) was so impressed with Nicola’s fish dish he hopes she’ll let him have the recipe!  Andrew Seager (pictured left), aged 11, and his sister Julia from North Yorkshire had both reached the final. It was wonderful to watch Andrew working with such care and precision. His Thai Salmon with Mango Rice and Raspberries with Ginger and Lime Creme Brûlée secured him third place. So high was the standard this year that two special prizes for Dish of the Day were also awarded. Siani Higginson, aged 13, created an inspirational dessert of pan fried aubergine slices layered with amaretti and pear mascarpone and served with blackberry sauce and our youngest finalist, Ashton Fernihough, aged 10, made the most delicious Sunshine Lamb, which the judges just couldn’t stop eating! Judge and Food Editor of BBC Good Food magazine, Jane Hornby, was delighted with the creativity of the menus, some of which will be featured in the September issue. CookIt!, The Guild of Food Writers nationwide competition, and one aspect of the Guild’s commitment to champion cooking and raising awareness of good food for all ages, was sponsored by Sacla’. Look out for news of the winner of CookIt-WriteIt!, the Guild's brand new food-writing competition for 15-18 year-olds, in a couple of weeks. The Guild of Food Writers’ children’s cookery competition is part of a national children’s food and cookery education campaign launched by the Guild of Food Writers in 2003.  If you know of any schools or children’s organisations that would be interested in taking part in next year's competition then please email their email details to the Guild of Food Writers’ administrator, Jonathan Woods, . With thanks to BBC Good Food magazine  Prizes for CookIt! First Prize: An Italian Experience in London: Spend a morning learning about Italian cookery in the kitchens of Giorgio Locatelli, one of the UK’s leading Italian chefs and assist in preparing your family dinner for that evening at his acclaimed Locanda Locatelli restaurant. Enjoy the delights and secrets of a culinary tour with Jenny Linford, Guild member and author of Food Lovers London and founder of Gastro-Soho Tours, and enjoy spending a voucher in Divertimenti - one of the most popular kitchen equipment stores in town. The prize also comprises two nights’ accommodation for you and your family (up to four people) at the luxurious Radisson SAS hotel situated in the heart of the West End, all travel expenses, and a hamper packed with Sacla’ and other authentic Italian foods, plus a copy of The Painter, the Cook and L’Arte di Sacla’ signed by leading Italian food writer Anna Del Conte. Second Prize: An Italian Experience in Edinburgh: A culinary weekend for you and your family in Edinburgh. Enjoy the finest Italian experiences the city has to offer with the chance to spend a voucher on Italian cookery books of your choice. Accommodation at the prestigious Radisson SAS hotel on the historic Royal Mile will also be included as well as travel expenses, and a copy of The Painter, the Cook and L’Arte di Sacla’ signed by leading Italian food writer Anna Del Conte Third Prize: An Italian Cookery Experience: Attend a special cookery course for you and a friend, where you will learn all about the skills and know-how needed to produce great Italian food at a leading Italian cookery school in the UK. All travel expenses to and from the school are included in the prize, as are a hamper packed with Sacla’ and other authentic Italian foods, plus a copy of The Painter, the Cook and L’Arte di Sacla’ signed by leading Italian food writer Anna Del Conte. Three Runners Up Prizes: Runners up will receive a substantial hamper including a pasta machine and packed with Sacla’ and other authentic Italian foods, plus a copy of The Painter, the Cook and L’Arte di Sacla’ signed by leading Italian food writer Anna Del Conte. ↑ Top ↑ |
CookIt! 2007 winner enjoys her prize Sophie Buck (pictured right), who won CookIt! in 2007, reports from her first prize trip to Paris, France courtesy of Air Miles: On Tuesday, 17 July 2007, I set off with my mother aboard the Eurostar train bound for Paris. I was incredibly excited about my Cook It! Prize trip, as I had never been to central Paris before and, thanks to the sponsors Air Miles, we arrived quickly and went to our wonderful hotel in Avenue Kleber, only 10 minutes from the Arc du Triomphe. As our gastro guide, Kate Whiteman, was not arriving until later that day, we spent the time visiting one of the most famous sights, the Eiffel Tower. Even after queuing for one hour and forty minutes, I can still say that it was worth every minute. The views were amazing from every level! The following morning, we met up with Kate and Jane Suthering. They took us to a wonderful street market, Marché President Wilson. We saw some incredible fruit and vegetables, especially the varieties of tomatoes in all shapes, sizes and colours. The stallholders were very welcoming and allowed us to sample their produce, from the sweet strawberries to foie gras! We watched one stallholder making crêpes with every possible filling from sweet to savoury. The seafood was displayed beautifully and really makes you want to buy some. At the rotisserie stall, they were cooking everything from rabbits and pig to chickens and ducks. Under them, were trays of potatoes into which the juices were dropping. The smell was delicious!  After this, we hopped onto a metro to Les Halles to visit the fantastic food shops in rue Montorgueil. We visited a beautiful shop called Charles Chocolatier, where we were given samples to taste. The chocolate was very rich but melted in your mouth. We walked slowly along visiting many of the shops selling a variety of foods from fish to olive oil. All the shop windows in Paris are carefully set out with wonderful displays to tempt you. My favourite shop there, was the oldest pâtisserie in Paris called Stohrer. It was filled with fruit tarts, gâteaux and pastries of all types. After lunch, we did some more sightseeing and took a boat trip along the River Seine. We visited the Louvre, but it was very busy because the new President was there too. I had the most expensive diet coke there. It cost 6 Euro, which is about £4.00! Thursday was our final day and we met Kate and Jane at the Ritz Hotel. We were given a tour of the hotel, kitchens and cookery school. I really enjoyed this, especially meeting the head chef, who presented me with one of his special chef hats. The kitchens were spotless and we saw some of the pastries that they had just prepared that morning.  After this, we set off to the Place de la Madeleine to visit some of the amazing shops there. I couldn’t believe that some of the sugar roses and fruit jellies in Fauchon and Hediard weren’t real! In La Maison de la Truffe, where they sell truffles, there was everything from oil and cheese to pasta. But it was all very expensive. I bought some macaroons in Ladurée instead, which were delicious.  Now it was time for lunch and Kate had booked a table at Le Soufflé, in rue de Mont-Thabor. I chose a salmon one for my main course, followed by a chocolate one with chocolate sauce for dessert. They were soufflerb! Just before catching the train home, we had time to visit the food-hall Lafayette Gourmet, once again filled with beautiful arrangements of produce from fresh fruit to snails, and the air filled with the smell of freshly baked bread and coffee. This was an incredible prize and a great experience and I have many happy memories of the trip. Thank you to everyone at The Guild of Food Writers for organising such a brilliant competition and a big thank you to Kate and Jane for guiding us and showing us the delights of Paris. Sophie Buck enjoys her chocolate soufflé at Le Soufflé ↑ Top ↑ |
Cook It! 2007  Sophie Buck (pictured right with Mimmika Liacos of Airmiles) won over the tastebuds of BBC 2’s Great British Menu double winner judge Mark Hix and fellow judges, celebrity chef Marcus Wareing and award-winning cookery writer Sophie Grigson on Thursday 24 May with her fab fish pie and thick and gooey Brownies with Kentish strawberries.  Sophie (pictured left with judge, chef Mark Hix), from Faversham, Kent, one of six finalists, showed off her admirable skills during the final cook-off at the BBC Good Food Magazine test kitchen beating Sam Rooks (13) into second place with his lamb dish and chocolate tart and thirdly Joshua Sparks (14) who tackled venison and innovative chilli orange chocolate brownies. Food Director Sara Buenfeld of the BBC’s Good Food Magazine also formed part of the judgely huddle. Sophie, who at ten years old is our youngest ever winner, attends Ashford Friars Preparatory School, Great Chart, Ashford and scoops the first prize of a fabulous guided culinary trip to Paris generously donated by Airmiles. Finalists, selected from keen young cooks all across the UK, were charged to create a two course menu, this year’s theme 007 – Licence to Bake.  Eva Neary (The Flour and Grain Education Programme) and Mimmika Liacos (Airmiles)  The Guild of Food Writers’ children’s cookery competition is part of a national children’s food and cookery education campaign launched by the Guild of Food Writers in 2003. Pictured right are three of the competition's organisers from the Guild of Food Writers: (from left to right) Jane Suthering, Debbie Hearn and Roz Denny. If you know of any schools or children’s organisations that would be interested in the competition then please email their email details to the Guild of Food Writers’ administrator, Jonathan Woods, . With thanks to BBC Good Food magazine The Grain Chain The 2007 competition was sponsored by the Flour Advisory Bureau and the Home Grown Cereal Authority (HGCA). The Grain Chain www.grainchain.com is a new user-friendly multimedia resource which offers children a fun way to learn about healthy eating and gain an insight into the ‘field to fork’ cycle of how wheat is grown and used to produce breads and breakfast cereals. Develop with input from teachers, this latest learning resource which is accessible on www.grainchain.com can be used both in the classroom and at home with family and friends. It offers visual, up-to date materials including activity sheets, games and quizzes which cover the key topics of arable farming, milling, cooking and nutrition. Teachers are offered the benefits of interactive white board activities as an addition classroom resource plus a dedicated teachers' section which includes detailed lesson plans and curriculum details. The Grain Chain, www.grainchain.com, covers the following age groups: * 5 – 7 years old * 7 – 11 years old *11 – 14 years old *14 – 16 years old Children's Food Festival The first ever Children’s Food Festival took place over the weekend of 14 and 15 July 2007 at the Northmoor Trust’s conservation farm, 10 miles south of Oxford, within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The aim of the Festival is to transform children’s approach to food. The Festival wants to give children and parents a fresh perspective on healthy eating. The objectives are:
For more information: www.childrensfoodfestival.co.uk The Academy of Culinary Arts The Academy of Culinary Arts is Britain’s leading professional association of Head Chefs, Pastry Chefs, Restaurant Managers and suppliers in Great Britain. While concerned with raising standards and awareness of food, food provenance, cooking and service, its objectives are equally focussed on the new generation of young industry people through its education and training programmes and the provision of career opportunities. ‘Chefs Adopt a School’ is the Academy’s charity where members ‘adopt’ a school and teach children primary and secondary about food, where it comes from, how to taste and cook it. www.academyofculinaryarts.org.uk/adoptaschool In association with:      ↑ Top ↑ |
Cook It! 2007 finalistsSOPHIE BUCK – 10 years, FavershamDishes – Fish Pie and Chocolate Brownies with Kentish Strawberries MONTAGUE JACKSON – 11 years, London Dishes – Meatballs on shredded Cabbage followed by Baklava Stuffed Dates JENNIFER STEARN - 12 years, Skipton Dishes – Smoky Macaroni followed by Apple Cake with Honey and Calvados sauce SAM ROOKS – Aged 13, Portsmouth Dishes – Rack of Petersfield Lamb with an African Touch followed by Orangey Chocolate Tart KIRSTEN GOODERHAM – Aged 13, Holywell Dishes - Peppered Steak with Crispy Potatoes followed by Banana Cream Profiteroles JOSHUA SPARKS – aged 14, Launceston Dishes – Vension Medallions on Red Cabbage, followed by Chilli, Orange and Chocolate Brownies. ↑ Top ↑ |
CookIt! 2006 Winner enjoys her prize Nicky Wilson, who won CookIt! in 2006, reports from her first prize trip to Italy courtesy of Sacla': I have just returned from Italy having had a fantastic trip, we were treated like VIP's thanks to Sacla'. I (and family) stayed in a wonderful hotel in Tigliole, we had dinner in their restaurant (michelin star no less!) and we had 7 courses - I can remember every one!! The next morning we went to see the basil fields and saw how the basil was harvested AND the basil was back to the factory and into the process before we were! Can't get much fresher than that!  We then got our white jackets and net hats on (lovely) and had a tour round the Sacla' factory in Asti, from the washing of the basil to the labelling of the jars — it was all so interesting — they showed us everything. We had two lovely guides, an English girl called Laura and an Italian called Sara. Off then to the Barbero factory for the most delicious Nougat ever — real Nougat! And then ... of course, Sara coming from Asti, knew the best place to take us for an ice cream to end our day with her. We then went off to sample more of what Italy has to offer on our own for a few more days, I now love Italy, just need to learn a bit more of the language! So thank you to the Guild of Food Writers for organising the competition — I got a lot out of it, the competing, the winning and such a great prize. ↑ Top ↑ |