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On Your Marks, Get Set, Cook!

THE RED TEAMTHE GREEN TEAMBOTH TEAM WITH PRESENTER

Following the hot topic of healthy eating, currently in the spotlight due to programmes such as Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food, Eastleigh College was buzzing with excitement this week when a live lunchtime cook off competition took place in the Time Out Food Court. Hosted by the catering company, Scolarest, students and staff were split into two teams and had 15 minutes to produce a healthy, balanced meal with fresh ingredients from scratch. A replica of the popular TV show Ready Steady Cook, the competition was a fun and interactive event informing students of the many benefits of healthy cooking and eating.

Winners of the competition, the green team, were lead by Construction Lecturer, Ian Orr, and runners up, the red team, were lead by Links Co-ordinator, Adam England. Teams used simple everyday ingredients such as onions, tomatoes, pasta, potatoes and spinach to produce mouth-watering dishes to entice the judges. The result? A flavoursome vegetable balti with Bombay potatoes produced by the green team, while the red team created a tempting pasta dish with chicken and vegetables. The audience of Eastleigh College students not only judged the teams but were also quizzed on energy foods and foods that should be included as part of a balanced diet.

Construction student, Rachael Sampson, was a chef on the green team and commented
'It was great fun to take part in the event. I learnt how to make Bombay potatoes and this experience has definitely made me think about cooking more often!'

'This is a good experience for the students, and our vegetable balti dish just goes to show how popular a healthy, vegetarian dish can be!'
Said Construction Lecturer, Ian Orr.

Scolarest are delivering this live cooking event to many schools, colleges and Universities throughout the country, targeting parents and students. Darren Tinkler, from Scolarest and host of the live event said
'This event is aimed at teaching students about life skills and understanding the importance of healthy eating and a balanced diet whilst educating them about the different food groups. We have found the healthy eating message has more impact with students through the hands-on approach that we adopt, which also makes it a fun learning experience.'

Release date 02/10/2008