The SCOTY competition aims to show the high quality of school meals and the contribution they make to the health and wellbeing of children. Erin, who is from Holmer Green School (Impact Food Group), was named as the best school chef in the UK last summer at LACA’s Main Event.
Her main course was pork bao bun, spring onion puree and rainbow slaw. For dessert she created sweet nacho chips, lime mousse and fruit salsa. Erin won the prestigious SCOTY trophy, £1,000 cash prize and an invitation to a calendar of catering industry events as well as a trip to Venice and Padua with Unox.
Reflecting on the trip, Erin said: "The trip to Italy was a prize indeed. It was a phenomenal experience with fantastic people. The Unox factory was a delight. We saw the inner workings of a company that is leaning into the future; and the enthusiasm and passion they have for their products was commendable.
“The food was mind blowing. The elegant simplicity of the food, allowing the quality and freshness of the ingredients to shine through was a huge inspiration and I came home wanting to try and recreate many of the wonderful dishes we tried! I cannot wait to return to Venice in the future.”
Erin was joined by Carol Harwood, SCOTY working group lead; Florin-Stealian Soare from Impact Food Group; Andrew Cowan from The School Food People events group, Jo Reeves, event director at Dewberry Redpoint and Ben Robinson from SCOTY competition sponsor Premier Foods.
The visitors were accompanied by Unox’s market development specialist Archie Clarke. Thanks to continued business growth, Unox UK has created a team of market development specialists who are dedicated to the public sector.
On day one of the trip, the group enjoyed a boat ride to Murano island followed by a glass factory visit and lunch at La Prosciutteria restaurant. After some free time to explore Venice the group went back to the hotel and then visited Da Pino pizzeria to enjoy a few one metre long pizzas.
On the second day the group visited the UNOX Experience Hub where the Unox representatives gave a company presentation showcasing their growth and sustainability credentials. The oven manufacturer has created Unox City in Padua, a new 130,000m² sustainable and innovative industrial hub developed with an investment of more than €100 million (£86m).
The group enjoyed a tour of the new innovation and logistics hub as well as experiencing a cooking demonstration showcasing the CHEFTOP-X, SPEED-X and EVEREO ovens. They also learned more about the AI-powered OPTIC.Cooking capabilities of the Unox ovens.
The day finished with dinner at the Passando Per Roma restaurant. For the final day, the group had a free morning in Padua where they had lunch at La Gourmetteria restaurant.
Archie, public sector market development specialist for the south of the UK at Unox, added: “This week I have had the absolute pleasure of welcoming and hosting The School Food People - School Chef of The Year (SCOTY) winner Erin Ward and team to the amazing UNOX S.p.A. HQ in Padua, Italy.
“We have enjoyed a deep dive into Unox’s innovation and sustainable ethos whilst also indulging in the amazing Italian food and culture that Padua and Venice has to offer. It has been great to get to know everyone on the trip and thoroughly hope our guests have gained some new found knowledge as well as some new found inspiration for exciting new recipes.”