South West College wins first Nestlé Toque D'Or for Northern Ireland

South West College has bagged Northern Ireland its first NESTLÉ TOQUE D’OR victory after being crowned the winner of the prestigious student catering competition at a ceremony at London’s Dorchester Hotel yesterday.

The winning team, made up of food and beverage service student Colleen McCann and professional cookery student Lauren Beavers, join an illustrious list of NESTLÉ TOQUE D’OR alumni including Anton Mosimann, with whom the team will spend time enjoying a personalised work placement experience.

South West College took the top spot after a challenging four-day Grand Final against teams from University College Birmingham,South Downs College,University of Derby, City of Glasgow College,Liverpool Community College, Blackpool and the Fylde College and the College of West Anglia, Kings Lynn.

Chairman of Judges, celebrity chef James Tanner, said:  “The students are really thrown in at the deep end throughout the competition, faced with foreign products in an unfamiliar and often daunting environment.  It takes a lot of guts to overcome the pressures, rise above them and make the most of the Grand Finals. South West College grasped the opportunity with both hands; they kept their cool throughout with a consistent performance, and really deserve huge congratulations.”

Speaking on the night, Colleen – who competed front of house for the team – said they were ‘delighted’ their hard work had paid off, adding: “We couldn’t believe it when we made it through to the finals, and winning the overall competition is just surreal – we simply can’t believe it!

 "We are now looking forward to spending some amazing time working with Anton Mosimann – it’s literally a dream come true.”