Vacherin named champions of ACE’s Ready Steady Cook competition

The team from Vacherin were crowned winners of the Association of Catering Excellence’s (ACE) 25th Ready Steady Cook competition.

Ben Garnett-Sinclair and Rico Fonseca impressed judges with their barbecue rump of beef with fermented hispi cabbage; beef tartare with tarragon; and farro risotto with sprouting broccoli.

For the first dish, contestants were required to use an aged 1.2kg rolled rump of beef from Lake District Farmers and serve it with a form of carbohydrates, sauce and vegetables.

The second mystery basket-style dish had to be plant-based, using surplus vegetables from WasteKnot.

Twelve foodservice companies battled it out at the competition, which was held on 19 September at the Skylight in Peckham.

Participants included BaxterStorey, Bennett Hay, Blue Apple, BM Caterers, Genuine Dining Company, Grazing Food, Holroyd Howe, Houston and Hawkes, Lexington, Restaurant Associates, Sodexo and Vacherin.

Vacherin beat runners-up BaxterStorey and Houston and Hawkes, who came third.

The judging panel was chaired by Daniel Ayton of World Master Chefs Society, and included Andrew Clarke of Acme Fire Cult, Pip Lacey of Hicce, and Ben Murphy of Launceston Place.

Sarah Prentice, chair of ACE, said: “We haven’t held this event for a few years, and we all agreed now was the right time to completely modernise the whole event.

"The new cooking format and venue focussed on the chefs and guests having fun and networking which is what ACE is all about. Cooking over fire was a big new part of this year’s competition."

ACE’s chosen charity for 2023/24 is the PM Trust, which promotes the hospitality industry as a career of choice for young people. Over £1,600 was raised during the raffle on the night.

The winners will be rewarded with a dinner for two at a choice of the judges’ restaurants.

All participants received an apron from Vissi, a goody bag and fleece from prize sponsor the Evolve Group.