Ellie Livesey was crowned Staff Cook of the Year at Donington’s Thomas Cowley High School.
The heat of competition, if not the ovens, was intense as staff battled for honours.
Organiser Diane Jenney, head of food technology said: “The event was fiercely fought but in the end Ellie managed to win with her amazing chicken and cashew curry with coriander chapattis followed by Nariyal Burfi with a tropical fruit salad and a mint sugar frosting.
“Ellie won a bottle of Prosecco and a Tom Kerridge recipe book.
“The ‘Staff Skivvy of the year 2016’ was Damien Daley, who impressed the judges with his cleaning and organisational skills.
“Damien supported Katy Smith our previous Staff Cook of the Year 2015. Damien was thrilled to win his bucket bag full of cleaning materials.”
The competition is now in its 15th year and is a popular event celebrating the staff’s culinary expertise. After the judging competitors sampled each other’s dishes leaving no plate untouched