Mildenhall care home chef reaches final of prestigious national cookery competition

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Apr 13, 2016

Alan Cash, head chef at Mildenhall Lodge care home, is heading to the final of the prestigious Care Cook of the Year competition after battling head-to-head at a regional cook-off last month.

Alan will need to demonstrate his cookery skill by preparing a two-course menu in 90 minutes at a live cook-off for the competition final on June 8 2016.

Alan is one of 12 chefs nationally to reach the final of the Care Cook of the Year competition, organised by the National Association of Care Catering (NACC). The final will take place at Barking and Dagenham Technical Skills Academy, where Alan must produce a main and dessert that demonstrates adherence to nutrition guidelines, great taste, costing ability and suitability to the care environment. 

Alan Cash said: “I am delighted to have reached the Care Cook of the Year finals. It’s a great achievement and I’m looking forward to cooking against some of the country’s top care sector chefs at the live cook-off in June.”

The NACC Care Cook of the Year Competition is one of the longest-standing, independent recipe competitions in the UK. Open to all chefs in the care sector, the competition raises the profile of care catering, promotes best practice and highlights the range of culinary skills needed to succeed.

James Clear, Care UK’s hotel services manager for the South, explained why being a chef in a care environment is different to standard catering: “A care home chef needs a range of skills and a broad knowledge to prepare meals to meet every residents’ needs. Skills such as gluten free baking, high nutrition dishes, fragrant cooking and soft foods. We invest in a variety of training for our chefs, to help them provide the best dishes to suit every resident, and we’re delighted when chefs like Alan are recognised for their skill and expertise in prestigious competitions such as this.”