Raheem Morgan crowned School Chef of the Year 2023

Raheem Morgan has been named School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) 2023.

The chef (pictured) impressed the judges with his Asian crispy fishcake with edamame bean, miso puree, wasabi mayonnaise and crispy garnish; and deconstructed lemon cheesecake with apple and basil gel, apple crisp, cherry compote and egg white meringue.

Morgan beat 10 other finalists who had competed at regional heats across the country. Each candidate was judged on their use of Premier Foods products; working practices in the kitchen; creativity; appearance; taste and flavour.

It was the fourth time that the unit manager and head chef of Torridon Primary School in Lewisham had competed in the competition, having secured runner-up positions in both 2021 and 2022.

His cooking style involved encouraging children to try new spices, as well as sneaking vegetables into both mains and desserts to add nutrition.

He won last year’s Grab ‘n’ Go challenge at SCOTY with his loaded quorn corn savoury waffle, inspired by a traditional Jamaican corn fritter.

Prior to his career working in school catering at Chartwells, Morgan had worked with Tom Aikens and held commis, demi and parti chef roles at Hotel Café Royale, Park Plaza Hotel and the Ivy in London’s Sloane Square.

Commenting on his victory, Morgan said: “It means the world to win – I’m on cloud nine! I’ve been used to coming second and third but this year it’s me who’s won and I’m so happy.

“I’ve put so much time and effort into it and so to win is not only great for me but for my brilliant team at school and Chartwells too. Both have supported me with the dish creation, tasting, giving feedback and stepping in while I had time away from school for the competition.”

He added: “I want to thank my team at school, Chartwells who have been amazing but also LACA – I love everything they stand for and the work they are doing in the school catering sector is amazing and hugely important in changing the quality of school food but also the perception – there’s no chance of lumpy custard anymore!”

Second place went to Jennifer Brown from Sarum Academy, Wiltshire, representing the south-west, and James Noakes from Maidstone Grammar School in Kent, representing the south-east.

Head judge Louise Wagstaffe from Premier Foods said: “These chefs have a massive influence on the food our children are eating and to see such great tasting food full of nutrition and innovation has been brilliant. There are some fantastic, scalable ideas here which we will be sharing with our schools.”

The SCOTY competition is run by LACA, the School Food People, and sponsored by Bisto, from Premier Foods.

It is now in its 29th year and continues to demonstrate the importance and high quality of school meals.