Harlow College Catering student Samuel Staples cooked his way to the National Finals of the Rotary Young Chef Competition, held at Lincoln College on Saturday 16th April.

Samuel had won a tense Regional Finals, held at Harlow College the previous week, to make it through to the Final, where he was one of eight young chefs competing for the top prize, from an original entry of over 8,000 applicants.

The chefs were asked to plan, prepare, cook and present a three course meal for two costing no more than £15.

Samuel's meal included buffalo mozzarella short stack, hickory smoked mackerel and deconstructed lemon meringue pie. Samuel claimed a creditable 4th place, saying: “I was excited to be involved in my first competition for Harlow College. I’ve learned a lot from dealing with the pressure and the experience will definitely help me in the kitchen in the future.”

Stuart Smith, Senior Tutor in Hospitality & Catering at Harlow College, said: “I put Sam forward for this competition because he’s really passionate about his cooking and I knew he’d be able to handle the pressure. I’m very proud of Sam - to have got as far as the National Final is an amazing accomplishment.”

Geoff Kay, President of The Rotary Club of Harlow, had this to say: “I was very impressed with Sam’s talent and was delighted to see him get to the National Final. Although he didn’t win the top prize, he has been offered a work placement at the award winning The Tilbury Restaurant in Datchworth, so well done Sam!”