A Stromness school chef is in the running to be the best in Scotland, but her loyal band of pupils say she’s a shoo-in for the title of UK’s 2021 School Chef of the Year.
Stromness Primary students will tell you that Karen Bevan has been serving up delicious meals all year long. But this year she has the chance to prove herself to a much wider audience.
Ms Bevan was recently shortlisted for the LACA School Chef of the Year, North East & Scotland Regional finals. The competition is sponsored by meat replacement company Quorn, and in true chef comp tradition, competitors are judged on two courses.
Competitors have to use one Quorn product in the main and make a dessert from mostly fruit. In keeping with the spirit of the school chef’s mission, the meal has to meet school nutrition standards and can’t cost more than £1.40 per person.
Although standards will be high at the regional final, the discerning tastes of Ms Bevan’s everyday judges have prepared her for anything.
Versatility, kindness and a smile: key ingredients for a school chef
When Ms Bevan competes in the regional later in June, she’ll have the backing of her island supporters.
Orkney Schools Catering Manager, Scott Pring, said: “The dishes Karen has created are strong and technically challenging in the timescale as well as super tasty. I am hopeful she makes the final, however, just to get to the regionals is an achievement in itself.”
Many of her Stromness cafeteria customers also told us why Ms Bevins is the best school chef. Although, like her husband, not all the students seemed ready to buy in to the meat-free theme of the competition.
Here’s what a group of P2s and P5s had to say:
‘Brutally honest’ judging makes for the best preparation
When she started preparing for the competition, Ms Bevan approached the obvious first-choice taste testers: her family.
“They were brutally honest, as kids are. My husband enjoyed his role as taster but, as a lover of meat, has requested that the next competition be a Scotch Beef competition with Orkney beef, of course!
“Quorn is very versatile and suited to this dish even though the same main course would traditionally be made with pork, or you could substitute with chicken. It’s good to have variety in your diet and a good balance is what we all should be trying to achieve.”
