Mellors Golden Whisk Final 2024!

On 11th July, Mellors Catering Services held the thrilling final round of the 2024 Mellors Golden Whisk competition at The Cheshire Cookery School in Altrincham. This annual event celebrates and recognises the talented chefs within Mellors, crowning one overall winner of the Golden Whisk Award.

Open to all 350 Mellors units across the North of England and Midlands, the competition encourages 2,000 staff members to take part and showcase their culinary skill. After an extensive shortlisting process featuring local and regional heats, five finalists were revealed to compete in a live cook-off against the clock.

This year’s fabulous finalists were Mounia Lounes from Laisterdyke Leadership Academy, Mark Renton from George Stephenson High School, Guillaume Jayet-Laraffe from Hungerhill High School, Julie Clarke from Holy Cross High School, and Marc Bennett  from Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy, Birmingham.

Sponsored by Unilever UK, the competition tasked entrants with creating a main course and dessert centered around the theme “From Past to Plate.” This theme highlights Mellors strong family values and celebrates recipes passed down through generations, evoking special memories and bringing people together.

The live final was judged by Danielle Watkins (Mellors Head of Nutrition & Food Development), Andy Walker (Mellors Operations Director), Anna Bamber (Mellors Marketing Manager), and Louise Tosh (Unilever). Danielle said, “Each year, our amazingly talented team steps it up another level. It’s truly been a fantastic competition from start to finish.”

The competition took taste buds on a global adventure, with recipes from Shropshire and France to Thailand, Northumberland, and Algeria!

The winner crowned was Mounia Lounes from Laisterdyke Leadership Academy, in Bradford. Mounia’s main dish was bourak, a traditional Arab pastry filled with spiced meat and encased in delicate pastry, a recipe handed down from her grandmother. This was paired with an authentic couscous and a selection of traditional Algerian sweet and spicy sauces. For dessert, Mounia served a Sweet Orange Moskotcho, a light and fluffy apricot sponge, another recipe passed down through generations in Algeria.

Mounia shared “It is a favourite of my family and friends, here and at home.” She added, “The experience has been absolutely wonderful, I still can’t believe I won! The Golden Whisk competition has taught me to never give up and keep striving to the end.

 “To potential entrants for next year my advice is to just go for it. Participating in this competition is a fantastic opportunity. If you have a passion for food, I highly recommend it.”

Mounia’s attention to detail and presentation was outstanding. She hopes to feature these dishes on the menu for the pupils and staff at Laisterdyke Leadership Academy following her success.

Hafeez Khan, Principal at Laisterdyke Leadership Academy, said:

“We are very proud of Mounia and her achievements. Her creativity and passion shines through in everything she does and this achievement is a testament to her hard work and the commitment she demonstrates daily to produce healthy, nutritious meals for our pupils.”

Congratulations to Mounia for being crowned the 2024 winner, to all the finalists—Mark Renton, Guillaume, Julie Clarke, and Marc Bennett—and to everyone who participated in the competition.

Take a look at our Golden Whisk Finalists 2024: