These teams will now compete in a live cook-off at one of seven heats held across the UK, including Northern Ireland where colleges are participating for the first time in the competition’s history.

The 2013/14 competition, sponsored by BD Foods and ABP Food Group and supported by the Craft Guild of Chefs, had attracted a record-breaking 87 entries from colleges throughout the UK.

This entailed submitting a three-course, four-cover menu along with a supporting methodology and a costed list of ingredients for the judges to review. The judges included: Mark Irish, head of food development at Brakes; Craft Guild of Chefs chairman Christopher Basten; and Allister Bishop, executive sous chef at Harrods.

Irish said: “The Student Chef Team Challenge is going from strength to strength and we’re really excited to be able to hold a regional heat in Northern Ireland.

“As always, the standard is fantastic and this year’s shortlisted college teams are no exception. All entrants have their work cut out, and I wish them all the very best of luck. We are certainly going to have some tough decisions to make.”

The final will take place at Hotelympia 2014 at ExCeL in London on Monday, April 28. The winning team will receive a five-day work experience week, plus an invitation to join and assist the Craft Guild’s culinary team at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg. Basten will host both prizes.

Further prizes for the winning students include a six-piece Global knife set, a competition jacket and a year’s free membership to the Craft Guild.

Heat locations and colleges:
Scotland
Ayrshire College Team 1
City of Glasgow College
West College Scotland
New College Lanarkshire – (Scottish regional heat location)
Ayrshire College Team 2
North Highland College
Moray College UHI
South Lanarkshire College

Northern Ireland
North West Regional College
Southern Regional College – Portadown Campus – (NI regional heat location)
South Eastern Regional College Lisburn Campus
South Eastern Regional College Downpatrick Campus

North
Grantham College Team 2
The Sheffield City College – (North of England regional heat location)
Grantham College Team 1
Runshaw College
Blackpool and The Fylde College
Accrington and Rossendale College
Kendal College

Midlands and East Anglia
City College Norwich Team 3
City College Norwich Team 1
Cambridge Regional College
Banbury and Bicester College
Shrewsbury College
Stratford upon Avon College – (Midlands and East Anglia regional heat location)
Northampton College Team 1
Northampton College Team 2

London
Farnborough College of Technology
South Downs College
Westminster Kingsway College Team 2 – (London regional heat location)
Westminster Kingsway College Team 1
Eastleigh College Team 2
Essex University/Edge Hotel School
Carshalton College Team 2
University of West London Team

South East
City College Brighton and Hove
East Kent College Team 2
East Kent College Team 1
Sussex Coast College Team 4
Sussex Coast College Team 1
Mid Kent College 3
Mid Kent College 1 – (South East regional heat location)

South West and Wales
Highbury College Times 2
Herefordshire and Ludlow College Team 2 – (SW and Wales regional heat location)
Highbury College Team 3
Herefordshire and Ludlow College Team 1
Coleg Cambria Team 1
Highbury College Team 1
Coleg Llandrillo Team 2
Yeovil College

For more details about the competition, visit www.brakesstudentchef.co.uk