In total, 18 aspiring chefs from the college donned their chefs’ whites to compete against South Devon, Cornwall and Exeter Colleges.

Each of the Plymouth competitors gained an award, with the College winning seven gold, seven silver, three bronze and a certificate of merit.

Chaz Talbot, academy manager of hospitality, catering and ESOL at the College, said: “We have some extremely talented students at City College Plymouth and this competition really gave them a chance to demonstrate their skills whilst competing against some of the finest aspiring chefs in the region.

“I was delighted to see some of our level 1 students given the opportunity to compete against those on level 2 and 3 courses in some of the categories, and taking away medals! 

“I am incredibly proud of our students’ success - not least the two students who were awarded best in class for their category.

“They conducted themselves professionally throughout the competition and were an absolute credit to the College. To return to Plymouth with such an impressive haul of medals and certificates is a testament to the hard work of both our students and staff.”

The medal haul came in the various categories in the first heat of the Major Series, which was held at South Devon College on Friday 8 February.

The competition invited the students to test their skills against the clock in a diverse range of challenges, including: the chicken challenge, the street food challenge, the pasta challenge, and assorted coffee challenge; as well as static presentations of a plated main and a decorated gateau.

The overall winner of the Chicken Challenge, Samuel Drake also advances to the national final in January 2020, to be held at the Food Service Show, NEC Birmingham.