The Manor House Barnard Castle chef reaches Chef of the Year final

Charlotte Holmes, a Catering Assistant at The Manor House care home in Barnard Castle reached the final after her menu was voted one of the top four in the competition. 

Charlotte entered with a starter dish of garlic & tarragon mushrooms served on toasted ciabatta, a main course of corn-fed chicken breast wrapped in Parma ham & Yorkshire blue cheese sauce accompanied with tender stem broccoli and baby new potatoes in a chive butter and a dessert of lemon cheesecake with glazed blueberries on a blueberry gel. 

Charlotte now joins the three other finalists to see who will be crowned this year’s Chef of the Year. The finalists will face the heat in the kitchens of Leeds Catering College on Thursday 6 July when they prepare their menus for the judges. 

Sharon Harrison, Manager at The Manor House care home, said:

We’re all so happy for Charlotte, we’re very proud of her and it’s honestly the least she deserves. Her recipes are truly delightful and a big hit with our residents. Everyone here at Anchor’s The Manor House care home loves her lemon cheesecake with the glazed blueberries, well actually we loved all of the dishes and I bet the judges did too! We joke and say to Charlotte that she needs more practice, so we can all keep sampling the dishes!

Charlotte is delighted to be in the final, saying:

I still can’t quite believe I’ve made it! I’m deeply honoured by what the judges thought about my dishes and I’m hoping I can really do them justice in the final. I got my inspiration for the recipes from the team and residents at Anchor’s The Manor House care home. 

At the end of the day, it’s our residents who I’m making this all for, so it makes sense they decided what I should cook. Some of them even helped with making the dishes, so maybe they’re the ones who should be getting the credit!

Mealtimes are an important part of daily life in our care homes. Good quality home cooked food is central to ensuring residents have a positive experience. To find out more about our Chef of the Year competition, click here.

For more information on The Manor House Barnard Castle, click here.