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12th July 2022

Robert Sorbie wins Lakeland Dairies’ Reimagine Colcannon chef competition

Written by: Edward Waddell
Robert Sorbie of Abbey Healthcare scooped the Lakeland Dairies’ Reimagine Colcannon chef competition prize of a £1,000 amazon gift card by creating ‘Molly Malone’s Colcannon’.

A reimagined colcannon is made by gently folding potato and cabbage with salmon and Lakeland Dairies Pure Irish Butter and Millac Gold Double for a deliciously creamy finish. The dish is then paned with flour, egg, and Lakeland Dairies Whole Milk before being lightly coated in golden breadcrumbs and presented in the centre of the plate, surrounded by mussels, red pesto and pancetta.

Jean Cattanach, marketing Controller at Lakeland Dairies, said: “Celebrate Green is our way of shining a spotlight on our farming excellence on the island of Ireland. Having a modern twist to one of the most iconic Irish dishes, Colcannon is a perfect way to showcase the extraordinary taste and fantastic functional performance of Lakeland Dairies’ dairy products.

“We were delighted to have received so many innovative ideas based around this truly Irish traditional dish. The judges were taken with how beautifully presented Sorbie’s dish was and the imaginative way that he matched colcannon with delicious seafood. The name – Mollie Malone – was an ideal title for the dish.”

The Lakeland Dairies Colcannon Competition ran through March and April and was part of Lakeland Dairies celebration of their Irish provenance.

The competition encouraged chefs to create a modern twist on Colcannon by exploring Lakeland Dairies range of high-quality professional dairy products; Lakeland Dairies Real Dairy Whipping Creams, Pure Irish Butters, delicious Milks and Millac Gold Double. Judged by Lakeland Dairies and the Craft Guild of Chefs, the competition considered the creativity and visual appearance of the Colcannon dishes entered.

Lead Judge Andrew Green, chief executive of the Craft Guild of Chefs, added: “It was a pleasure to judge such a range of diverse dishes. Sorbie’s take on this simple and popular dish has given Colcannon the modern twist that we were hoping to achieve. I am sure that it will prove an enormous success on any menu.”

Full list of winners:

  • Winner: Robert Sorbie, Abbey Health
  • Highly Commended: Brian Gollan, Ivy House
  • Highly Commended: Julie Nicolas, Waddesdon Church of England School
  • Highly Commended: Dominic Gunn, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
  • Highly Commended:  Sam Hawker, AbleCare Homes