Telford College catering students battle it out in burger making competition

Ten students were challenged to create their own burger combinations, using either chicken or beef.

Their creations were then presented to an expert panel of hungry judges for a blind taste test, and a winner was crowned. 

Each student thoroughly enjoyed the competition at the college's Orange Tree restaurant where youngsters can put their catering skills to the test in a realistic working environment.

The judging panel was made up of staff from other college departments including director of vocational studies Andrew Turner, vice principal of curriculum Robert Lees, and business programme manager David Moreton.

After judging each burger on presentation and flavour, Ciara McElroy was crowned the winner for her tasty buffalo chicken burger.

The former Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby student said: "I was inspired after trying the sauce at home; I combined my buffalo sauce with chicken strips, a hash brown and bacon.

"It felt really good to win, I was really determined to win this challenge and I’m extremely happy with how my burger came out."

As her reward, Ciara received a burger-themed cookbook Shropshire and Herefordshire-based burger specialists The Beefy Boys, presented by Chef Lecturer Andy Minchin who also serves as the restaurant’s coordinator at Telford College

"We created this competition to make our practical work more exciting by adding a competitive edge," said Andy. "It really helped boost skills such as creative thinking, English and maths when creating recipes and ordering their ingredients, as well as the technical and timing skills learnt in our practical sessions.

"Whether designing a menu, planning an event, or managing a hotel experience, hospitality and catering allows students to be creative, continuously innovating and improving services. 

"All our students have displayed that, and the standard was so high - there was so much deliberation between first and second place."