A SCHOOL chef has come second in a national school chef cooking competition.
Matt Betts, 44, is the chef at The Mill Academy, Worsbrough, and got through to the national final of the School Chef of the Year competition after winning the regional title in January.
Matt was tasked with creating two dishes that would demonstrate his cooking ability while containing nutritional value for the pupils and costing no more than £1.30.
He created ‘Matt’s Marvellous Mackerel Tacos’ with basmati and wild rice and vegetables as well as ‘Strawberry Supermousse with shortbread bat biscuit’ for dessert.
He said: “It was really challenging to create the recipes. But the tacos have fresh salsa in them, so the children are getting their five-a-day and mackerel is an oily sustainable fish. The dessert had hardly any sugar in it. It was naturally sweetened with strawberries. I had 90 minutes to create my meal. Everyone was watching me. It was stressful but I just went in and did my job.”
Matt was awarded with second place, taking home £500. Tamara Gulliver, headteacher of The Mill Academy, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to share the wonderful things that are happening at The Mill Academy, and within St Mary’s Trust. All the staff and parents are really pleased with his success and it’s a great opportunity to share the wonderful things that are happening at the school.”
Following his success at the competition, Matt will also share how to make low-priced meals for the parents at the school and will also provide them with the opportunity to taste some school meals.
