Warrington & Vale Royal College students take part in cook-off

The first black pudding competition for catering colleges – which took place at the Winwick Road base – welcomed students from across the north.

Organised by International Wine and Food Society Northern branches, the competition judges included the owner of The Church Green in Lymm, Aiden Byrne – the youngest chef to win a Michelin Star aged 22, Andrew Pern of The Star Inn at Harome and Paul Heathcote of Heathcotes, Longridge as well as Stephanie Moon, and Eugene McCoy.

Students from the college Zach Doherty, Caitlin Clarke and Ben Keenan all took part.

The winners will be announced at a formal ceremony at Bolton College on June 28 and awards will be presented to the top three winners from the entrants from the six colleges.

“What a joy it is to see the world waking up after the pandemic and normal service resuming,” said Aiden.

“These young students were only in school when the pandemic hit and here, they are now competing in competitions in a professional environment.

“The IWFS has been amazing with its foresight to bring this very humble ingredient to the very forefront of this competition.

“Black pudding has a place on any menu whether it be a pub, hotel or a Michelin starred restaurant and the students here today at Warrington & Vale Royal College did it proud.”

Chef Aiden Byrne judging on the day

Tim Gittins, of IWFS, said: “At the core of the IWFS philosophy is the promotion and celebration of great food and great ideas.

“We wanted to spotlight an under-recognised part of our national cuisine, so we put together a unique collaboration of leading northern catering colleges, chefs, and industry suppliers.

“Fundamentally, the competition offers a chance to students to work with amazing ingredients and have inspiration and guidance from professionals who share the enjoyment of creating unique food experiences.”