Celebrity chefs cook up a challenge

Two celebrity chefs went head to head with east Manchester students and teachers to cook up a two course lunch from secret ingredients at MANCAT in Openshaw.

Paula O'Neil and David Gale from Manchester's top hotels, the Manchester Hilton and the City Inn, each headed up a team of students and teachers from MANCAT Openshaw College and Cedar Mount High School in Gorton. David Gales Blue team's menu included chicken with Italian vegetables and herb salad or spiced bean broth and rhubarb rice pudding with caramel crust for dessert. Paula O'Neil's Red team also cooked up chicken but her recipe included a parmesan topping, carrot crisp and sweet potato mash. The vegetarian option was stuffed peppers with Mediterranean vegetarian and the pudding was rhubarb crumble with a strawberry and caramel sabayon.

Commenting on the project, Lela Cribbin, New East Manchester's Arts and Culture Co-ordinator said: "The event was a fantastic way of celebrating East Manchester's Food and Drink Fringe Festival. Not only did it help to highlight catering as a fun and exciting career but also provided a unique opportunity for students to experience the cooking skills of two of Manchester's finest chefs."

City Inn's Head Chef, David Gales from the Blue team, commenting on the event said: "This competition was one of the best and well thought out events I have had the pleasure to attend. I found it very rewarding to work with these kids and I hope the east Manchester food and drink fringe festival continues to grow from strength to strength."

The two teams cooked for 40 people, half representing the staff and students from Cedar Mount and the other half from MANCAT.

The diners paid for their lunches with monopoly money and the team who got the most money won. The Blue team got £175 and the Red team received £225 making them the winners.

For more information visit http://www.neweastmanchester.com/

Media contact:

Roz Hughes, tel: 0161 223 1155.