Swan chef inspires young cooks

Kent`s Michelin-listed brasserie, The Swan, has launched a new scheme to inspire healthy eating and reward young chefs.

The Cygnet Award is aimed at secondary school pupils in Kent who are interested in cooking and carving out a career as a chef.

The restaurant in West Malling will launch the competition on September 8 inviting all students in Kent to create a healthy starter, main or dessert using seasonal and regional ingredients.

Six students submitting the six best recipes will be invited to a live Cook Off in front of a panel of judges and regional radio and TV crews.

One winner in each of two categories (in year groups 7-8 and 9-11) will be awarded a Cygnet Award and certificate, as well as a £200 voucher to dine at The Swan.

The two winning recipes will also feature on the menu at The Swan and the two winners will spend a day in the kitchen with Head Chef Scott Goss.

Goss said: “Jamie Oliver’s School Dinners campaign did much to raise the important issue of what our children are eating within schools, but we wanted to go one step further and actively engage young people in the process of devising and creating their own healthy recipe, which they can go on to cook and enjoy with their families at home.

"Winning a Cygnet Award is an achievable goal for every secondary school child in Kent and will encourage a whole new generation of children to get creative in the kitchen at home, or in their food technology departments at school. It will be a real boost for the winners to see their recipe being recreated for the brasserie at The Swan and a day in the kitchen will give two young people a practical, hands-on taster of what it is like to be a professional chef.”