Kirklees College recently hosted the Springboard FutureChef’s West Yorkshire Local Final at our Huddersfield Centre. The Springboard’s annual FutureChef competition is the largest national school cooking programme in the UK with over 20,000 young people participating each year.
The competition helps Years 9-11 students to develop their culinary talent and supports them with entry routes into careers within the industry. We hosted the local finals and the winner of this final will progress to the regional finals being held at Sheffield Hallam University in February.
This year’s competition is the 25th anniversary, since 1999 it has been providing a platform for school children to showcase their passion, creativity and skills of the culinary arts. This competition had a massive impact on the culinary impact of this nation, having over 214,000 school children aged 12-16 taken part to date.
April Partridge, who was the highest-ever ranking female chef in The Craft Guild of Chefs, National Chef of the Year in 2020 won the FutureChef competition in 2009. It acted as a fantastic starter to her career, she is currently serving as chef de partie at The Ivy London. April’s journey showcases the potential this competition can unlock for its participants.
Other participants include, Michelin Star restaurateur Graeme Cheevers, social media influencer Poppy O’Toole and Ruth Hansom, a Roux Scholarship finalist, winner of a Caterer Acorn Award, finalist of the ‘Great British Menu’ and regular guest on TV shows such as ‘James Martin’s Saturday Morning’ and ‘Saturday Kitchen Live’.
We at Kirklees College wish every contestant the best of luck in the 25th Anniversary FutureChef competition!
Applications for our Hospitality and Catering courses are now open. To find out more, visit our course page here.
