Celebrity chef hosts Leeds City College cooking competition which raises over £5k for local children’s charity
Leeds City College’s second ‘ready steady cook’ style competition has raised thousands of pounds to support Candlelighters.
Organisations from across Leeds came together at Leeds City College last week to take part in a cooking competition which raised over £5,000 for a local children’s cancer charity.
Hosted by celebrity chef and presenter Briony May Williams, the ‘ready steady cook’ style competition took place on April 29 at Leeds City College’s Printworks Campus.
The event raised a total of £5290 to support Candlelighters, a Yorkshire-based charity which provides emotional, educational, and practical support to families of children with cancer.
The cook-off was the second of its kind to be hosted at Leeds City College to fundraise for the charity.
In the competition, ten teams of two put their culinary skills to the test in training kitchens and participants included staff from Dovetail & Slate, Luminate Education Group and Leeds College of Building.
Each team was challenged to cook a main course and a pudding in two hours using ingredients provided by Company Shop Group, the UK's largest redistributor of surplus food.
Emma Bexon, Deputy Head of Department for Travel, Food and Drink at Leeds City College, said: “It was a privilege for the department to host the Candlelighters Trust fundraiser. We were incredibly proud of our Level 1 and Level 2 Culinary Skills learners, who showed real passion, professionalism, and teamwork throughout the event.
“A special thank you also to our amazing staff team, Emily Walker and Andrea Guardascione, for embedding such high standards and supporting the learners throughout the day.”
Sue Patterson, Candlelighters Trustee, said: “Our second Ready Steady Cook in support of Candlelighters Trust at Leeds City College’s Printworks campus yesterday was an amazing success.
“The teams gave their all, the students were on their A game helping support the teams to navigate the kitchen, give ideas and help deliver some really tasty dishes. Days like this only happen when people collaborate and get behind a great cause.”