Luke Cockerill crowned Game-to-Eat Student Chef of the Year

Luke Cockerill’s dish ‘Partridge with Mushrooms & Brassicas’ beat off stiff competition from three other finalists invited to Ealing College, London, by Mark Hix and Shooting Gazette columnist Lee Maycock to prepare their own partridge or pheasant recipe within an hour.

David Taylor and Jill Grieve from the Countryside Alliance joined Mark and Lee on the judging panel.

Kyle Hadley-Quinn of East Kent College was awarded second place for his ‘Moroccan Spiced Partridge’, Jacob Sorrell (also of East Kent College) took third with a ‘Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pheasant Supreme’, while Shane Davies of Gower College, Swansea, was fourth with ‘Partridge Two Ways’.

Luke Cockerill won £250 of catering vouchers and a week’s work experience with Mark Hix. The three runners-up also received catering vouchers.

Mark Hix said: “I care passionately about seasonal British food and game is the perfect example of seasonal food at its best. It was great to see these student chefs cooking with game and we have tasted some really delicious dishes. Luke Cockerill was a well-deserved winner and I look forward to welcoming him to my restaurants.”

Alexia Robinson of Game-to-Eat said: “We have really enjoyed working with student chefs over the past few months and encouraging them to cook more often with game. The Game-to-Eat campaign has been running for over 11 years with the aim to encourage more people to cook and eat with game.”

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