Cookery students win silver at Scottish Culinary Championships

Two UHI North, West and Hebrides students have won silver medals in the Scottish Young Chef’s Challenge, part of the Scottish Culinary Championships.

Arek Ulicki (17), from Milton, and Freya Macdonald (18), from Tain, who study Professional Cookery (SCQF Level 5) at the Dornoch campus, impressed judges with their skill, teamwork, and precision.

Open to student chefs and apprentices in full-time education or training, the Scottish Young Chef’s Challenge took place at ScotHot, Scotland’s largest hospitality trade event, in Glasgow, and are designed to test teamwork, communication, and technical ability.

Students had to work as team to prepare and fillet a whole lemon sole, create the classic dish, Sole Veronique, with accompaniments, and submit a detailed recipe and time plan.

Arek said:

“Competing in the Scottish Culinary Championships was an amazing experience, and winning silver made all the preparation worth it.”

Freya added:

“It was an incredible opportunity to put our skills to the test in a competition environment. Winning silver was a fantastic result.”

In addition to their success in the Scottish Culinary Championships, both Arek and Freya were recently named Young Scottish Chef Ambassadors - a prestigious new initiative launched by Scottish Chefs. As ambassadors, they have opportunities to represent UHI North, West and Hebrides at industry events, building valuable professional networks.

Simon Rodgers, cookery lecturer at UHI North, West and Hebrides, said: “This is an incredible achievement for Arek and Freya, and we are very proud of their hard work. Their dedication and skill have been recognised on a big stage and their success really shows their talent and passion for the industry.”

UHI North, West and Hebrides offers a range of hospitality and professional cookery courses across their campuses in Dornoch, Fort William, Stornoway and Thurso.