Telford College burger challenge is a sizzling success

Catering students at Telford College unleashed their foodie finesse in a culinary competition in the college’s Orange Tree restaurant.

Ten students were challenged to create their own burger combinations, using either chicken or beef, before presenting them to a panel of hungry judges in a blind taste test.

The panel was made up of staff from other college departments – director of vocational Andrew Turner, vice principal of curriculum Robert Lees, and business programme manager David Moreton.

After judging each creation on presentation and flavour, they chose Ciara McElroy’s tasty buffalo chicken burger as the winner.

The former Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby student said: “I was inspired after trying the sauce at home; I combined my buffalo sauce with chicken strips, a hash brown and bacon.

“It felt really good to win, I was really determined to win this challenge and I’m extremely happy with how my burger came out.”

Ciara’s first place prize was a burger-themed cookery book from Shropshire and Herefordshire-based burger specialists The Beefy Boys, provided by Andy Minchin, chef lecturer and restaurant co-ordinator at Telford College.

“We created this competition to make our practical work more exciting by adding a competitive edge,” said Andy. “It really helped boost skills such as creative thinking, English and maths when creating recipes and ordering their ingredients, as well as the technical and timing skills learnt in our practical sessions.

“Whether designing a menu, planning an event, or managing a hotel experience, hospitality and catering allows students to be creative, continuously innovating and improving services. 

“All our students have displayed that, and the standard was so high – there was so much deliberation between first and second place.”

Pic: Catering students with the judges – and their burgers