North Students Rise to the Culinary Challenge
"At last the 1st of October arrived ...the judging day for our new and very exciting Taste of Caithness & Sutherland Challenge. I stayed on late at my work the night before to make sure I had left my desk clear so that I could make that journey I love so much over the Kessock bridge and up 'O'er eh Ord into Caithness'. Having left home at the age of 16 to follow my own journey for the love of food I never tire of that bonny journey back home to Caithness - there honestly is no finer county!
When I arrived at Thurso UHI I was met by Anne Frew, Andrew Mackay and Jo Wyke. We had a welcome chat with Chef Stephen ....he had the real challenge of keeping the students motivated and on track in the kitchen and as he witnessed not everything goes according to plan in the test/development kitchen and some of the most innovative creative new recipes can come about by mistake!!
The students came and presented their culinary creations to the judging panel individually and explained why they had chosen to make their particular dish and what hero ingredients from Caithness and Sutherland they had used etc. This was a great interactive session where judges could ask questions and it was fascinating to hear how they had come up with their ideas.
Some had taken a classic dish and added things like Scotscalder Honey and Golspie Oatmeal for example to give it a real 'Taste North' twist. One young man really did think 'out of the box' and took the success of the North Coast 500 on board and developed 'Power Bars' which were very innovative and topical. Capturing all the goodness of healthy ingredients and presenting in an on-trend quirky way - very marketable! I can just see these bars or the little fruity chocolate protein rich 'power balls' being sold in John O'Groats or at the various hotels along the North Coast 500 route.
Also delighted to sample some delicious caramelised red onion chutney enhanced with a good splash of Old Pulteney Liqueur and served with the most fantastic baked savoury scones with chilli and triple smoked Orkney Cheese. I think Reids the baker would love the recipe!!
Other very innovative ideas included 'Cod in the Cob', created with support from local Scrabster fishmonger JPL Shellfish - one young lady had the vision of creating a new fish sausage with some Orkney Cheese and just to be really clever serving it in between sliced corn on the cob!
Then just to keep my sweet tooth happy there was a delicious selection of Raspberry Oaty biscuits - inspired by the traditional Scottish dessert Cranachan. These were just melt in the mouth and would be fantastic served as part of the dessert menu in the hotels along the north coast.
The winners will be announced next Saturday at the Taste North food and drink festival at Ackergill Tower where students and staff from UHI will be on hand to showcase some of the fantastic new creations and offer guests of Taste North the opportunity to taste and sample these very unique culinary experiences. Mr George McIntyre from the Gordon and Ena Baxter Foundation will present the Silver cup and prizes to winners.
We will also welcome interest from Orkney Cheese, Old Pulteney etc who may like to donate some ingredients or partner with local producers to make pilot batches of winning recipes to sell throughout Caithness and Sutherland. Let's encourage our talented foodies from the North and give them lots of support and encouragement!
Many thanks to all who have helped to make this new competition possible and most of all to our talented young chefs and we look forward to seeing you all at Taste North next Saturday."
- Alison McDonald, on behalf of the Gordon & Ena Baxter Foundation and Baxters Food Group.