Ferndown Manor chef cooks up a storm in national competition

Home news

Oct 03, 2017

Ferndown Manor is celebrating after it was announced that a team member has reached the final round of a Chef of the Year competition.

Scott Moore, head chef at Ferndown Manor, competed against the culinary talents of chefs from around the country to be in with a chance of winning the coveted title in Care UK’s national competition.

To secure his place as a finalist, Scott was challenged to prepare a two-course lunch in 90 minutes, ensuring that the menu would appeal to residents and stayed within the budget set by the judges.

For the first course, Scott prepared a dish called “Three little pigs”, made up of pork tenderloin with wholegrain mustard sauce, pork belly lardons, and pork cheek croquette with broad beans and carrots. Following this, Scott cooked up a tempting dessert of dark chocolate and rhubarb fondant with rhubarb compote. The meal was then presented to a panel of four judges, which included two residents, who scored each dish based on the presentation, nutrition, use of products, taste and texture.

After being named one of four finalists, Scott commented: “I’m thrilled to have made it to the final round of this national competition. The level of skill and creativity from the other chefs was really high, but I was confident that my cooking would be received well by the judges, as they are dishes that the residents at Ferndown Manor always look forward to.

“I’m always looking for new flavours and ingredients that I can include in my cooking, so the final round will present a great opportunity to try out some new recipes, some of which we’ll hopefully add to the menu at Ferndown Manor for residents to enjoy.”

Janet Lewis, home manager at Ferndown Manor, added: “The Chef of the Year competition is a brilliant opportunity for the chefs at Care UK to show their skills and expertise. Everyone here at the home is thrilled that Scott’s talent for creating meals that both look and taste delicious has been recognised, and we all have our fingers crossed that he will be just as successful in the final heat.”

The finals, which will take place in October, will see the four finalists compete to be crowned Care UK’s Chef of the Year.