Causeway Hospital chefs win top UK-wide award

Two cooks from Causeway Hospital in Coleraine have won a top award at a UK-wide competition.

Darren Taggart and Angela Dickson were awarded ‘best in class’, the highest possible award, in the NHS 4 Nations Chef Challenge.

It was held at ExCeL in London as part of the prestigious International Salon Culinaire during the recent Food, Drink and Hospitality Week showcase.

Working together as a team, Darren and Angela had to produce a three-course meal for two people, within a budget of £6 per person. Alongside this, they were judged on hygiene, working practices, sustainable procurement and food waste.

With only 60-minutes on the clock to prepare, cook and present their dishes, the pair impressed the judges to emerge victorious.

Their winning menu featured carrot and lentil soup with ginger, a roasted cod main course served with crusted baby potatoes, green pea mash and smoked tomato and dill sauce, followed by raspberry fool for dessert with lemon curd and a flake meal biscuit.

Offering her congratulations, Karen McLaughlin, the Northern Trust’s General Manager for Catering and Domestic Services, said: “I am so pleased that Darren and Angela’s hard work has paid off, and this is much-deserved recognition for them both.

“It’s a great endorsement for our Catering Service as a whole, and it highlights the quality and calibre of our chefs who are committed to providing our patients with quality, nutritious meals every day.

“Being able to take part in a competition like this helps to celebrate the important contribution our caterers make to healthcare, and to come home with the top award is a huge achievement.”

8th April 2024