Students in Jersey took to the JCG kitchens last week to create their own show-stopping main dish incorporating the finest ingredients the Island has to offer.
The annual JCG Skills for Life Cookery Competition was open to all secondary school students in Jersey. Pupils from Le Rocquier, Haute Vallée, Les Quennevais, Beaulieu, Victoria College and Jersey College for Girls all competed for various trophies.
This year, the competition had a new main sponsor. Genuine Jersey – which was established 15 years ago to promote the diversity and quality of local produce and products – has committed to support Skills for Life for the next three years.
Students created a main course of their choice that used local Jersey produce. Competitors had one hour to cook their dish and present it to local chef judges including Andrew Baird, Executive Chef at Longueville Manor, Darren Amy, Group Manager for Mange-Tout, Marcus Calvani, owner of La Cantina, Rozena Pedley and Shaun Rankin.
At the prize giving, sisters Kyla Mc Donagh and Megan Mc Donagh showed that culinary talent ran in the family. They each won the award for their year group and were awarded special judges’ choice awards. Kyla, year 7, won the Shaun Rankin Award for Best use of Jersey Produce. While her sister Megan, year 11 who is also currently the Rotary Young Chef Jersey award winner, won the Jersey Markets Trophy for Best Overall Entry in Competition.
Competition organiser Antoinette De Louche, Head of Food and Nutrition, Jersey College for Girls, said: “The Skills for Life competition has had another successful year. The competition shows students that cooking is a fun and worthwhile life skill, whilst encouraging them to learn about nutrition and the concept of creating a balanced meal.
“It is wonderful to have Genuine Jersey as our main sponsor this year. Without this sponsorship, and the support of the judging panel, this event could not run. The competition really encouraged students to think carefully about using seasonal produce, and where possible sourcing local, fresh ingredients. In the run up to the event, students researched the many benefits of eating seasonal ingredients. They are now more aware that locally sourced food is not only more nutritious, but is better for the environment as well as supporting our local economy. In their overall evaluation, many students commented that they were previously unaware that the island had so much produce to offer.”
Shaun Rankin said: “I was really impressed with all of the students they prepared some spectacular dishes and I was really impressed with their talent, creative skill and attention to detail. It’s great to see so many young local budding chefs using local ingredients. I thought Kyla Mc Donagh made one of the best dishes of the day and it was based around local ingredients which is really important because we need to support our local businesses and some of the best produce in the world is available on our doorstep.”
Genuine Jersey Chief Executive John Garton said: “Our first year supporting the competition has left me immensely impressed at the young cooking talent we have on the Island. The range of Genuine Jersey members’ produce incorporated into the students’ menus was remarkable. Genuine Jersey is proud to support Skills for Life and we look forward to sponsoring it again next year.”
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The winners were as follows:
Yr 13 Modern Hotels Shield:
- Winner: Harry Rosenthal Kenny, Victoria College
- Runner-up: Oliver Voak, Victoria College
Yr 12 Mange -Tout Trophy:
- Winner: Emma Preisig, Beaulieu Convent School
- Runner-up: Catherine Lowthorpe, Jersey College for Girls
Yr 11 Longueville Manor Trophy:
- Winner: Megan Mc Donagh, Jersey College for Girls
- Runner-up: Tiffany Vaudry, Le Rocquier
Yr 10 Pedley Family Award:
- Winner: Miriam Crowcroft, Jersey College for Girls
- Runners-up: Emily Blake, Les Quennevais, Sophie Lewis and Lucy Howarth from Jersey College for Girls
Yr 9 Genuine Jersey Award:
- Winner: Natacha Searson, Jersey College for Girls
- Runners-up: Jacob Houiellebecq, Les Quennevais, Amelie Le Blancq and Roseanna Le Conte from Jersey College for Girls
Yr 8 Rondel’s Farm Shield:
- Winner: Sophie Leary, Jersey College for Girls
- Runners-up: Tamsin Hollyman and Phoebe Crichard from Jersey College for Girls
Yr 7 Dunn- Ross Trophy:
- Winner: Kyla Mc Donagh, Jersey College for Girls
- Runner-up: Sophia Sadler, Jersey College for Girls
Shaun Rankin Award for Best use of Jersey Produce:
- Winner: Kyla Mc Donagh, Jersey College for Girls
Boathouse Award for Endeavour:
- Winner: Alice Paul, Jersey College for Girls
The Jersey Markets Trophy for Best Overall Entry in Competition:
- Winner: Megan Mc Donagh, Jersey College for Girls
