It isn’t often I’m astounded, but returning from the Scout Hut at Matlock Green, that’s exactly how I felt! A few months ago, Rachel (Derbyshire Scouts County Team Leader) sent me an email asking if I’d like to be one of the judges at their Ready Steady Cook Final, and I replied that, yes, I would indeed like to help out.
Fast forward to the day of the event and the 7 teams of finalists were setting up their stations and washing their hands before the 90 minutes competing time started. All the Scout leaders took time to come and have a chat, so I didn’t feel like an outsider for long – thank you all for that. There were a trio of Scouts in each team and, wow, they were all so friendly and chatty as they told me all about their menus, budgeting and sustainability. No word of a lie, at their age I was nowhere near that mature and had it ‘together’! I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the standard of culinary expertise that was produced!
Some of the dishes were worthy of being in professional restaurants, and the thought given to presentation was very applause-worthy. Tables were laid with cloths, cutlery placed in napkins, themed glassware and colour-schemes were all part of the presentation for some teams, and one even brought over a couple of chairs for me and fellow judge Steve to be seated upon whilst we dined!! Eating all the scrummy food was the easy part of the day; when it came to making the decision about which team were our winners, it was phenomenally hard. Without exception, every team had produced at least one element that was beyond marvellous, and for that I applaud each and every participant.
I loved the range of cuisines, too: Thai, Mexican, Italian, Moroccan, and the quintessential British Fry-Up (complete with made-from-scratch Derbyshire Oatcake). One team had made Gluten-free Flatbreads to accompany their vegetarian menu, another their own Jam; ingenuity certainly wasn’t lacking from these Derbyshire Scouts!
The most remarkable thing is that all these feasts had to be done within 90 minutes and only with the utensils that they would have on an outdoor camp i.e. nothing electrical (so no handy gadgets!). I was amazed at what can be done on a gas-bottle stove, and also by the standard of hygiene and cleanliness on display throughout; special mention has to go to the lads from the 2nd Ilkeston Scout Troop: their washing up system - wipe, wash, wash, finish - was top-notch. The best thing, though, was the fantastic displays of team-work from all the finalists; no tantrums were had and everyone was communicating well as they busied themselves with prepping and cooking.
After A LOT of deliberation and back-and-forthing, a decision was made as to who the winning team was. Huge congratulations to 1st Buxton Troop, and the joint-second teams of 73rd Derby Pumas and 1st Ripley (the Meatballs from Ripley should be in restaurants, they were that good!). With only a cats’ whisker between the other troops – 2nd Ilkeston, 4th Derby, 1st Belper and 1st Tupton – everyone did an incredible job, and should be beyond proud of themselves.
This was, hands-down, one of the most fun mornings I’ve had…and my tummy was certainly very happy!! Next time, though, I won’t make the mistake of eating breakfast before I go judging! Hot Wings happily awarded to this group of budding Chefs, and to their support crews.
All photos courtesy of Derbyshire Scouts
