TALENTED CHEFS FROM BUSY BEES NURSERIES WILL BE BATTLING IT OUT TO PRODUCE A DISH FREE FROM ALL 14 NAMED ALLERGENS IN A NATIONAL COOKERY COMPETITION
Chefs from Busy Bees nurseries across the country who have been crafting some delicious allergen-free dishes as part of the Busy Bees’ ABC Chef Competition, are preparing to sauté their way to success at next week’s final!
Chefs at Busy Bees nurseries regularly adapt meals to suit the needs of children with dietary requirements, but during the final of this year’s ABC friendly (Allergy friendly, Busy Bees Friendly, Child Friendly) competition, which is taking place during Allergy Awareness Week, they will be challenged to produce culinary masterpieces free from all of the 14 named allergens. Aside from crafting some exciting new dishes, the competition is also helping to raise awareness of the different types of allergies and food intolerances.
Busy Bees, which has recently been awarded the Silver Food for Life Catering Mark from the Soil Association for the third year in a row, ensures that all of its food is fresh, traceable as well as being nutritious and well balanced. However, during this year’s competition the eleven finalists have raised the standards using their expertise and creativity to come up with a selection of flavour-filled main courses and mouth-watering desserts, from chicken and vegetable meatballs to chocolate and avocado pudding, that can be enjoyed by everyone in nursery, without sacrificing on taste!
David Persaud, Catering Mark Development Manager for the Midlands from the Soil Association Certification, who will be one of the judges at the final, said: “I’m really honoured to be judging at this year’s competition. Each year Busy Bees runs exciting and inspiring competitions for its nursery chefs and this year’s theme of allergens should be very interesting. I’m really keen to see some of the diverse and uncommon ingredients that may be used and the dishes that they create without the possibility of relying on staples such as milk, eggs and flour containing gluten. It promises to be a great day!”
Melanie Fox, Senior Catering Manager, explained the importance of this year’s theme:
“Parents often worry about how their child with an allergy will be cared for outside the home by other people. At Busy Bees, through allergy awareness training of staff and the confidence parents get from talking through their child’s dietary requirements with the nursery chef, the anxiety and concerns can be reduced.
“The ABC Competition is an excellent way for our Busy Bees chefs to showcase their skills and knowledge whilst producing wholesome nutritious food.”
The finalists will be cooking their dishes in front of four judges at Harborne Food School on 26th April. For more information about Busy Bees menus or short training catering courses please go to www.busybees.com.
