Entente Cordiale Celebrated at East Kent College

Celebrating the culinary expertise of students on both sides of the English Channel saw four teams go head-to-head in The Entente Cordiale Culinary Competition.

Now in its eighth year, the annual Entente Cordiale competition saw the pairing of Oliver Miccoli representing The Bournemouth & Poole College and Morgane Werwinski from the Lycee Paul Valery in Menton awarded first place. It was held at East Kent College’s Broadstairs Campus on Thursday 23rd April.

The competition brought together the top students from the four strongest professional cookery training establishments in England – East Kent College, Westminster Kingsway, Bournemouth and University of West London – and their opposite numbers in France at Grasse, Menton, Toulon and Sophie Pic colleges.

In the spirit of cross-Channel cooperation, the English and French students were paired together and tasked with preparing and cooking classic Escoffier inspired dishes.

The event was presided over by Michel Escoffier, Chairman of the Escoffier Foundation and great-grandson of Auguste Escoffier.

The judges for the competition were Richard Phillips, former student and Michelin-starred chef; Graham Garrett from the Michelin-starred West House and Andy McLeish from Chapter 1 Restaurant at Locksbottom, Orpington.

Rob Allsworth, Chef Lecturer at East Kent College, and the host for the event, said: “The competition is inspired by the legacy of world-renowned Auguste Escoffier, a culinary and kitchen management genius and creator of numerous prominent recipes.”

“Once again the competition successfully brought together the leading students from our two countries and provided them with the latest culinary equipment and the freshest ingredients from Kent to demonstrate their own passion and inventiveness for cookery.”

Graham Razey, Principal of East Kent College, said: “It was a pleasure to host the competition which reinforces the reputation of the College as one of the country’s best places to study for a career in professional cookery.”

The students prepared their own interpretation on the Escoffier inspired dishes of Sole Daumont, using Dover Sole, and Rice Condé, an enriched vanilla rice dish incorporating a contemporary garnish showcasing Kentish apples and rhubarb.

The competition was supported by many local food companies including Turners Fine Foods, Thanet Earth, JC Rook and Sons, Woodwards, Norman Collett, Fruit de Mer and Page and Sons.

The involvement by companies Nisbets, I.O.Shen Knives, Henkelman, Clifton Food Range, Vorwerk/Thermomix and Chef Tools/Pacojet also helped ensure that the students had access to the latest kitchen equipment to help them during the competition.