Building on the success of last year’s Managing Directors’ Cook Off, this year it was the turn of 10 of Barchester’s Regional Directors to step out of their comfort zones and get busy in the kitchen. Their aim was to raise money for Barchester’s Charitable Foundation which supports older people and other adults living with a disability or mental health problems by helping them to connect or re-connect with others in their local communities. Between them, the five teams of; Clare Mudge & Melissa Harker, Dannie Tsoneva & Wendy McGowan, Jayne Holloway & Maria Stefea, Stella Bolger & Karen Champion and Isabela Andriuca & Claire Brewer and their divisions have raised over £31,000 and money is still coming in. These funds will support small charities and individuals all across the UK in the form of grants.
Temperatures were rising as the teams got busy cooking up a storm for the judges to taste. Their challenge was to prepare a three-course meal plus an afternoon tea item all of which was blind tasted by a panel of exacting judges headed by Barchester’s CEO, Dr Pete Calveley. All of the food was delicious and beautifully presented but it was Claire Brewer and Isabela Andriuca, Regional Directors for the Central Division, who beat the competition to the Cook Off crown with their sensational menu of Wild Garlic Soup served with a poached egg, followed by Pan Fried Salmon and fondant potatoes drizzled with a beurre blanc and their Sticky Toffee Bread & Butter Pudding with home-made toffee sauce to finish, all of which was an absolute triumph.
Chairperson of Barchester’s Charitable Foundation, Commercial Director and one of the Cook Off judges, Simon McCall, commented: “Not to be outdone by their MDs, our Regional Directors proved they have what it takes in the kitchen too. It was amazing to see how brilliantly they can all cook! We were absolutely blown away by the dishes they produced and under huge pressure. It was incredibly difficult to choose a winner but in the end Claire & Isabela from the Central Division just edged ahead. We have already managed to beat last year’s fantastic total which I really didn’t think was possible. I want to thank the Hospitality and Marketing team and everyone involved in helping to make this initiative happen, it is a fantastic team
effort. This is a huge amount of money and it will help support so many good causes.”
