Celebrations at Hampshire Hospitals as two chefs, Sunni Shahi and Daniel Freeman, scooped first place in The Hospital Caterers NHS Showcase Cookery Competition, held at the Excel Centre in London.
Sunni and Daniel had to compete against seven teams from across the country, preparing a three-course meal suitable for patients. The cefs prepared: crispy falafel, pan fried sea bass, and classic tarte tatin with clotted cream – which certainly impressed the judges!
Sunni joined Hampshire Hospitals eight years ago, having previously worked at Lainston House, near Winchester. He described the competition as: “nerve-wracking having to cook in front of so many people but I feel so proud being able to bring back first prize for the Trust.”
There was nearly disaster as Daniel, who has been head chef for six years, arrived with just 15 minutes to spare before the start of the competition as there had been a flood at his house!
Rob Strachan, Head of Catering, for Hampshire Hospitals says: “We are all extremely proud of Sunni and Daniel, not only do they work incredibly hard to produce nutritious and varied meals for our patients, but their efforts, skill, and passion has propelled them to the top.
“Being a ‘cook fresh’ Trust is so important; it means we prepare meals on the premises from scratch and we believe this makes a huge difference to the wellbeing of our patients, staff and visitors. We are now a multi-award-winning team!”
Together, Daniel and Sunny lead a team of ten chefs who produce meals for 450 patients, 356 days of the year.
The NHS Showcase offers chefs a unique platform to showcase their skills, creativity and culinary innovation. A panel of judges were on hand to assess the chef’s performance, including Nick Vadis and salon director Steve Munkley.
The Hospital Caterers Association is the only public sector organisation to have their own category in the Salon Culinaire.
