Highlight of the Week

Senior House Masterchef

Competition was fierce for the final places in some Houses, and the lucky choses nine competitors assembled in the kitchens immediately after school ready to start furious work on their carefully chosen menus.

All competitors had been given the ingredient list in advance, and had worked out how best to exploit the possibilities to produce a gourmet meal. This was the first time we had given an exclusively vegetarian list to pupils, so this year’s competition called for a slightly different form of ingenuity.

Dyfrig’s team - Ruby G, Nate A and Jess S - were all from Y7. The sumptuous winter vegetable Bubble and Squeak with fried egg, superbly flavoured Tofu Curry with flatbread and Chocolate Bomb reminiscent of the architecture of Le Corbusier, set the standard very high indeed!

Euddogwy’s Vegetable Cutlet Mini Balls starter, cooked by Amog M-B, was fantastic, and was followed by a Vegetable Masala Biryani, cooked by Ayush M, who achieved a fine flavour by marinating the vegetables in yogurt. Emre E’s Sweet-wrapped Pancake with shredded chocolate desert was beautifully light and well balanced.

Teilo’s contribution was equally impressive. The starter was one of the highlights of the competition: an enormous Apple Spiced Dahl with Coriander Flatbreads (there was enough here to provide a main course for two) made by Paige W. This was followed by a Vegetable Thali cooked by George F, which seemed never to end! Dish after dish was lined up on the serving table. Max C-T’s desert was a new take on the classic French Tarte Tatin, which used lime rather than lemon to offset the sweetness of the apple. It tasted and looked extremely impressive.

As ever our judges, Marie and Pete from Caffi Fach in Rhiwbina, gave excellent feedback to the pupils and considered their decisions very carefully. Someone, of course, had to win, so the final result was:
1st Dyfrig 2nd Teilo 3rd Euddogwy