Carmarthen school wins Tasty Careers Challenge

A school from Carmarthen has won the Tasty Careers Challenge, which aims to signpost individuals to careers in the food sector.

Queen Elizabeth High School won the challenge against eight other schools from Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot and Swansea who took part in the final at Parc Y Scarlets.

Working with local employers, including restaurant and café owners, the task was to create a starter, main or dessert using as many Welsh ingredients as possible and a total cost of no more than £7.

Tasty Careers is a National Skills Academy for Food and Drink (Wales) initiative to help support young people understand the careers and job opportunities within the food and drink industry.

The challenge is a partnership between Careers Wales, Castell Howell Foods, Seren and The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink (Wales). The competition aims to signpost individuals to careers in the food sector, help nurture valuable business skills and demonstrate the range of career opportunities that are available in an exciting, fast-paced industry.

James Hicks, strategic development manager at The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink (Wales), said: “I am so impressed by the quality of the presentations each team delivered and the enthusiasm they all showed.

“This initiative helps to bring widespread awareness of all the different types of jobs within the sector, including engineers, marketers and food technologists.

“Today’s event has been so successful that we plan to deliver more of the same across Wales.”

The Queen Elizabeth High team have won a free meal at one of Seren’s Michellin Star restaurants, and the chance for their winning dish to feature on one of its menus.

The nine teams had a maximum of 12 minutes to present their final dish to the panel of distinguished judges, including Michelin Star head chef Hywel Griffith and representatives from Seren, Castell Howell Foods, Food Centre Wales, Cambrian Training and the UK Food and Drink Trade Programmes at Welsh Government.

Rebecca Wilson-Flower, a teacher at Queen Elizabeth High School, said: “This has been an amazing experience for both myself and the pupils. They have developed skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. This experience is invaluable to all.”

Aled Evans, a business engagement adviser at Careers Wales, said: “This competition provided everyone who took part a valuable insight into the opportunities available in food manufacturing and hospitality.

“We saw a lot of budding talent during the presentations, and I have no doubt, that for many of the pupils who took part, the challenge sparked a desire to enter the fast-paced industry.

“The insight and skills they’ve gained through this competition will certainly stay with them for years to come.”