The competition was open to all staff that hold a kitchen-based post and who are involved in the daily preparation of students’ meals. Competitors are required to prepare cook and present four portions of a Grab ‘N’ Go savoury snack with a total cost per head of 85p.
The live cook-off, which involved seven school chefs, took place on Tuesday 19th May. The three school chefs advancing to the final include:
- Asmaa Abdelrhman from Impact Food Group: Chicken Crepe
- Moises Catalan from Olive Dining: Chilean Sopaipillas spice box with curry sauce
- Nerinder Kaur from Sodexo: Ninz's Twisted Tikka Noodles
Marks were awarded for originality of the finished dish, ease of eating on the go, practicality of the dish in a school setting, how well the flavours and ingredients work together, variety of textures in the finished dish, appealing to look at and appealing taste of the finished dish.
Nerinder was one of the finalists for the 2025 Grab ‘N’ Go Challenge whilst Asmaa and Moises will be competing in the final for the first time.
SchoolGrid, which has 19 years of experience in school catering software, sponsors the event as part of its commitment to supporting frontline staff and promoting excellence in school food.
The three chefs will be invited to the School Food Show & Forum in Birmingham to compete for the overall title. The winner will be given a demonstration slot on Wednesday 9th July to showcase their winning dish.
The overall winner will receive £500, plus a £500 set of Wüsthof professional chef’s knives donated by sponsor SchoolGrid.