Care Cook of the Year competition kicks off

The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) is launched the 2009 competition at the show, with this year's winner, runner-up and the 2007 winner all showcasing their skills in the Nutrition Kitchen. Entries for the competition must be in before the Valentines Day deadline of 14th February 2009 after which there will be a series of regional 'cook-offs' to select the shortlist of six contestants who will then compete for the final accolade by preparing a two-course meal in 90 minutes in July 2009. The competition, which is now in its 10th year and is supported by The Worshipful Company of Cooks, Robot Coup and Churchills, is designed to highlight the wealth of talent and skills within the UK's care catering sector. Open to all cooks within care homes, day centres, community meals production units and children's homes, the competition tests entrants by requiring them to meet a number of criteria: • imaginative use of ingredients • menu cost – under £1.30 for two courses per person • suitability for the client • meeting NACC nutritional criteria • passing a taste test • creating a balance between main course and dessert. Sue Ullmann, chair of the NACC commented: "The competition is an excellent way of highlighting just how talented and versatile our caterers are in the care sector. The judging criteria emulates what the cooks face everyday in terms of juggling the requirements for nutritious, delicious-tasting food while having to meet extremely challenging budgets. "The competition also underlines just how important it is to provide the right quality and type of food to some of the most vulnerable people in our society, and the preventative role this can play by helping them to remain healthy and well-nourished." For further details and competition entry form please log onto the NACC's website: www.thenacc.co.uk