Step 1
Find Local Ingredients
This competition is all about using local ingredients. By local we mean ingredients produced/grown or reared in Oxfordshire. Young cooks should start with finding their local ingredients, doing their research. They need to choose at least 2 local ingredients to use in their menu and one from the Best of our Counties list - see below. Once they have chosen their local ingredients they can go on to design their menus. Starting with ingredients not recipes creates a stronger entry.
Learning about where our food comes from, how it is produced as well as seasonality and sustainability are key learning outcomes of this project. We also challenge young cooks to think about food miles. We are looking for ingredients that are available in May and June as this is when we hope our finals will be. Have fun discovering food on your doorstep!
For ideas on where to find local food in Oxfordshire try these websites:
Step 2
Create your menu
Time to create your menu. We are looking for creative summer menus that show a flair for cooking, an understanding of seasonality and a good use of local produce.
Design brief. Young cooks should design:
- Two course menu using at least 2 local ingredients and one from the Best of our Counties list
- The menu must have an early summer theme as we hope to hold finals in the summer. Try and use ingredients that are in season in May & June
- There is 90 minutes to cook your 2 dishes and you should cook 2 portions of each dish.
- The budget of £25 for ingredients. If you get through to the final we give you money for ingredients.
Have fun being creative......
Step 3
Cook your recipes
For 2021 cooking the recipes is not essential. We know for many schools cooking is difficult with social distancing in place.
Once the menus have been designed, have fun cooking the recipes. Check the recipes work and make amendments. You can see if there is time to add some little extras. Remember they need to cook 2 portions of each dish.
Most schools have a cook off in school to decide which 3 entries to put forward. You don't have to include local ingredients at this stage, only if you get to the final. This is a good chance to get the management team involved in what you are doing! Everyone loves judging and tasting.
Step 4
Tell us your story
The judges want to know the stories behind the menus. Is there a personal connection to one of the local ingredients? Are they tried and tested family recipes? We also want to know a bit more about the young cooks love of cooking and who inspired them - questions in the entry form. This always produces fun answers!
Please check the spelling and grammar on the entry forms before uploading or emailing.
