South east school chef takes 2013 crown

22 May 2013

Corinne du Preez, the 2013 south east finalist, has taken the title of LACA School Chef of the Year 2013. She was voted Britain’s number one school chef by a panel of judges at the national final held at the food services wing, Defence Logistics School, Worthy Down, Hampshire on 15 May. The competition is organised annually by the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA) and is sponsored by MAGGI® from Nestlé Professional®.

Corinne’s winning dishes were a main course of poached fillet of pollock with Arabic salad and tagine sauce served with coriander and garlic flatbreads, and dessert was a Moroccan date and cinnamon cake.

Corinne used MAGGI® Rich & Rustic Tomato Sauce and MAGGI® Vegetable Bouillon in her main course and Carnation® Evaporated Milk Light and Nestlé® Carnation Caramel in her dessert.

Corinne, 47, is employed by Caterlink for the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. She is based at Kings Court First School in Old Windsor, Berkshire, preparing around 95 meals a day for 4- to 9-year-olds.

As a mother of four, Corinne recognises the need for children to meet their daily nutritional requirements but at the same time believes that meal times should be fun.

Corinne has a great passion for art and likes to make use of vibrant colours in her cooking. She believes that children eat with their eyes and that meals should be as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate. Using fresh bright produce is certain to spark their appetites and encourage children to try new foods.

One of Corinne’s career highlights was having the great honour of planning, producing and serving a five course meal to members of the Royal family aboard a private aircraft charter to Moscow.

In her spare time Corinne enjoys water colour landscape painting and baking. She enjoys the creativity of designing and icing children’s birthday cakes.