He claimed the coveted title at the national final of the NACC Care Cook of the Year 2013 competition, yesterday following more than 90 minutes of intense competition.

Judges praised his ‘thoughtful and organised approach’ and enthused about the flavours of his winning menu. This consisted of oat-crumbed mackerel and sweet potato fish cakes served with pea puree and roasted thyme potatoes with a home-made horseradish sauce, followed by pannacotta with roasted rhubarb and caramelised fig.

He also received the Highly Commended Main Course accolade. Second place in the competition went to Jaroslav Figiel of Hampton Grange Nursing Home in Hereford, who represented Midlands Region in the final.

Karen Oliver, NACC chair, said: “Our heartfelt congratulations go to Simon – a worthy winner of the Care Cook of the Year 2013 title.

“This competition is vital for the care catering sector. As well as celebrating the true talent that exists within the field, it also fulfils the important role of raising the profile of the sector and highlighting the specific culinary knowledge, skills, flair and dedication required to ensure consistent excellence within care catering.

“This year’s competition, and particularly the grand final, succeeded in doing just that.

“The overall standard of entries was higher than ever before, with entrants really pushing the boundaries and sharing best practice.

“Yesterday’s final was simply phenomenal. The six finalists gave a real master class in care catering. Their menus showed creativity and aptitude, underpinned by a real understanding of the fundamental issues faced daily in a care environment – namely, nutrition, budget and the specific needs of service users.

“On top of this, the execution of the menus showed real skill and passion and the actual dishes tasted amazing.

“I congratulate all of the finalists.  Their personal achievements deserve to be celebrated and the collective achievement of championing the field of care catering must be praised.”

Lawrence himself said: “It has been a real pleasure to compete against other chefs who are so passionate and genuinely care about catering for the care sector.

“After three years of competing in the northern heats, I knew each year I had to improve to just compete in the final, and to finally achieve this is a very proud achievement.”

One of the longest-standing, independent recipe competitions in the UK, the NACC Care Cook of the Year Competition challenges chefs and cooks working in the care sector.

Entrants must devise new and exciting recipes appropriate for a care environment, and create a delicious and nutritionally balanced two-course menu, main and dessert, suitable for services users, and meeting the set budget of no more than £1.30 per head.

Innovation, costing, suitability for the environment, adherence to nutritional guidelines, taste and overall menu balance were the key attributes being looked for by the judges.

The competition is supported by the Worshipful Company of Cooks, Rational, Unilever Food Solutions and Steelite.