Tracy serves up area title glory

A dinner lady from Dewsbury has proved to be too hot for the opposition in the regional final of a top competition.
WINNER: School chef Tracy Healy is chasing the national title.WINNER: School chef Tracy Healy is chasing the national title.
WINNER: School chef Tracy Healy is chasing the national title.

Tracy Healy’s culinary skills saw her victorious in the regional final of this year’s School Chef of the Year competition.

Her winning combination was a lamb kofta with coconut rice, flatbread and a mint salad for her main, followed by rhubarb fool served with a ginger biscuit for dessert.

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Tracy, who works at Ravensthorpe Junior School, will now represent the Yorkshire and Humber region in the national final.

She will now hope to follow in the footsteps of last year’s regional winner, Katherine Breckon, who ended up claiming the national title. This will be held on Thursday 2 March in Stratford Upon Avon.

Speaking about her victory, Tracy said: “It was a good day and I really enjoyed it. It has been a good experience and obviously winning was fantastic, a bonus really.

“When the chefs qualified for the regionals, we all got a copy of each other’s menus so I knew roughly what the competitors were making.

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“On the day, after we finished cooking, the dishes were put on the tables so we could take a look at the food. The standard was very high.

“I am now looking forward to the final. It’s still sinking in that it’s all to come. I just have to do it all over again.”

The varied dishes on this years contestants’ menus included Spanish style chicken in a tomato and red pepper sauce, as well as meatballs which feature as part of a Mexican fiesta.