Date: 23rd May 2022
Dairy experts Lakeland Dairies have joined up with the Craft Guild of Chefs to sponsor their 2022 Graduate Awards, with a particular focus on the pastry category.
The prestigious Graduate Scheme is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with an enhanced programme devised by the panel of judges, which includes Steve Munkley and Will Torrent, as well as Lakeland Dairies' own award-winning development chef, Otta Jurscha. Entrants will be invited to use the full range of Lakeland Dairies’ high-quality dairy products at various points throughout the heats and finals, and Lakeland Dairies will sponsor every finalist with an annual membership to the Craft Guild of Chefs.
Jean Cattanach, Marketing Controller at Lakeland Dairies said: “As a Dairy Co-Operative with a long heritage of supporting family farms being passed through generations, it’s long been our ambition to help inspire and support the next generation of chefs. With several generations of farming families within our Co-operative we understand more than anyone the importance of nurturing the next generation and creating a legacy of expertise for the future.”
“Partnering the Craft Guild of Chefs Graduate Awards is one such way in which we hope to fulfil that ambition. We are extremely excited to engage directly with young chefs at such a critical point in their career, and to support important career progression opportunities such as The Graduates. We can’t wait to share our farming heritage and dairy expertise with The Graduate chefs and see what thrilling dishes they create, aalongside creating excitement for dairy from Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is known for being some of the best in the world.”
The Pastry Graduate Awards are aimed at young pastry chefs and chocolatiers or level 3 students studying pastry. Known for accelerating the careers of ambitious and talented young chefs, The Graduate Awards have seen its alumni going on to win some of the UK’s most respected culinary titles including Michelin Stars.
Steve Munkley, Vice President of the Craft Guide of Chefs and Culinary Director of The Graduate Awards said: “We are delighted that Lakeland Dairies have joined The Graduates, with so many colleges sadly closing their doors, it’s never been a more important time to help chefs progress in their career”
Lakeland Dairies has a long heritage of excellence in dairy farming and remains a 100% farmer-owned Irish Dairy Co-Operative. It is one of the largest dairy co-operatives on the island of Ireland, processing over 2billion litres of fresh wholesome milk annually, collected from our 3,200 family farms.
The winner will be announced at a celebratory lunch on the 12th September at the Lancaster Hotel, London.
