Local Authority Chef of the Year 2023 

After 9 years of successfully running the Scottish School Cook of The Year competition, ASSIST FM decided to widen the scope of its premier individual catering award by opening the criteria and running our first ever ASSIST Scottish Local Authority Chef of the Year competition.  We are very grateful to our sponsor Müller Milk & […]

5 min read

After 9 years of successfully running the Scottish School Cook of The Year competition, ASSIST FM decided to widen the scope of its premier individual catering award by opening the criteria and running our first ever ASSIST Scottish Local Authority Chef of the Year competition. 

We are very grateful to our sponsor Müller Milk & Ingredients for their support of our organisation and for their continued sponsorship.

The winning dishes from this competition were featured at our 2023 Annual Conference in May hosted by the Hilton Glasgow. The competition itself was judged based on the best starter, main course and dessert on the day at The Cook School Scotland with Chef judges Willie Pike and Bruce Sangster. We had five councils involved in the competition: Scottish Borders, Stirling, East Lothian, Edinburgh and East Ayrshire. 

Willie Pike said: ‘We love good food and good skills and these were shown in abundance by the competitors with some stand out dishes and techniques. The Councils and the competitors should be very proud of what was delivered at The Cook School Scotland today.’’ 

The three contestants who were crowned as the three finalists were: 

Nicola Arnold – Edinburgh Council

 Martyn Cuthbert – East Ayrshire Council

 Jamie Kimmett – Stirling Council 

The three winning individuals then had the opportunity to cook alongside the Hilton Chefs and produce their dishes for the Conference Gala Dinner.

Nicola Arnold from Edinburgh Council was announced by Claire Doyle from Müller Milk and Ingredients as the winner at the evening gala dinner with her starter, Textures of Beetroot, Candied, Roasted, Puree, Pickled and Crisp Hazelnut and her dessert, Cranachan Baked Cheesecake with Whisky Mist. 

Nicola said that “a modern twist on seasonal traditional food” was the inspiration for her menu. 

We look forward to holding this competition in 2024 and allowing other Local Authority chefs to shine!