A special VIP guest will be visiting Dine Contract Catering’s Birchwood Park Headquarters today when it hosts a Ready, Steady, Cook style competition for local schools. Part of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award’s (DofE’s) Diamond Anniversary celebrations, the event celebrates the hard work of volunteers and the successes of participants.
Teams of pupils from three schools that run the DofE in the Warrington area, apprentices from Dine Contract Catering and Ambassadors from the DofE will take part in the event, which will be judged by celebrity chef, Andrew Nutter – a former Ready Steady Cook chef himself. Compèred by former Krypton Factor contestant, Geoff Kershaw, the judging team will also include Cheshire High Sheriff, Bill Holroyd.
In its anniversary year, the DofE is encouraging people of all ages to set and achieve their goals through the DofE Diamond Challenge. This is a one-off initiative for 2016 that aims to give everyone a flavour of the life-changing benefits of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, whilst raising money for the DofE Charity so that it can transform the lives of more young people for years to come. For the DofE Diamond Cook Off Challenge, the students will be tasked with preparing a meal that can be cooked on a small stove and eaten during a DofE expedition, based on a fixed set of ingredients within a limited timeframe.
Matthew Caldwell is an Apprentice at Dine Contract Catering and is currently working towards his Gold Award.
“Taking part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has been a fantastic experience for me and has made a big difference to my confidence. Having the opportunity to do this has been one of the biggest benefits of my apprenticeship at Dine Contract Catering and after achieving my Bronze Award I couldn’t wait to do Gold.”
Ian Cartwright, Dine Contract Catering’s Managing Director, added: “We are very excited about hosting this special event, which is a great way for local pupils to get a taste of what the catering industry has to offer, while raising awareness of this fantastic charity.”
