Newsletter 7 - December 2007 - Lochaber High School

Rotary Young Chef
Competition 2007
On Friday 9 th November, I took part in the local heat of the
Future Chef Competition at the Nevis Centre, Fort William. I
was part of the senior heat and was against students from
Ardnamurchan, Kinlochleven and Mallaig High Schools. There
was also a junior heat where Kim Miller represented our school.
To be able to qualify for the local heat, we had to compete
against other chefs in our own school. The competition was
very intense and everyone produced fantastic food and they
were all very creative. Miss Morrison, H E Department and Mr
MacLean, Rotary Club of Lochaber judged the school heats. My
menu was ‘Roast Loin of Pork with a Tomato Fondue and Port
Jus’ followed by ‘Individual Bread and Butter Pudding with
Warm Ginger Cream Sauce’.
When I began my cook-off, I was surprisingly relaxed and didn’t
feel under a lot of pressure. I just made sure I knew what I was doing and that my commis chef (Eilidh MacIntyre)
knew what to do. After an hour the main course was served. I was pleased with the outcome as I presented it to
the chefs. The time passed fairly quickly and, before I knew it, I was serving the dessert.
When the judges announced that I was the winner of the senior competition, it didn’t quite sink in until I was smiling
for photos and the Head Teacher came up to congratulate me.
I was really proud of myself and Eilidh. I think we worked really well together. I think it was a great way to finish
off my cooking career in school and perhaps the start of a new one as I’ve always loved cooking and I’ve been doing
Home Economics for 6 years.
There were a lot of people involved in the competition but none of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for Mrs
Harrower, the Home Economics teacher. She put so much time and effort into it and was so helpful and patient with
all the practices.
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to take part in the competition next year as I am over the age limit, but I would like to
encourage people who have any interest in cooking to give it a go. It really is worthwhile and there is a lot of
support available for you.
Rachel Weir 6R
Junior Competition
Outdoor Activities
Competition winner Rachel Weir with Home Economics
Teacher Mrs Harrower and Chef Duncan Gibson
As it was getting closer to the young chef competition I was
getting more and more nervous but, when I finally got to the
Nevis Centre and saw the people who I would be competing
against, my nerves suddenly turned into excitement. I got the
dish underway quickly. After the dish was cooked I walked
around the kitchen to check out all the other competitors’ dishes:
they all looked amazing. I was very worried when waiting for the results, but when the
Kim’s Gaelic Salmon
judge announced the winner as Mallaig School I was very pleased, because the dish looked
stunning, but then the judge announced second place. I was shocked – it was me!! I
received a cash prize and a certificate. It was a wonderful experience. I am now looking
forward to next year’s competition.
Kim Miller 3L
Over the past few months we have been on
two expeditions with the Outdoor
Education Group. We started with Hill
Walking in Glen Nevis and, while having fun,
we learnt a lot about Health and Safety. Ashley even lay down on wet grass and pretended to be 'Dawn' who had
broken her leg! In the afternoon we took part in a Rock Climbing challenge. At first everyone was moaning because
the shoes didn't fit but once we took to the rock everyone's spirits lifted.
The most recent day out was at Outward Bound Loch Eil. We took part in a ‘High Ropes Challenge’ where we had to
climb to the top of a very high pole and jump off to catch a suspended trapeze. We even held Mr Reynolds off the
ground for a few minutes. In the afternoon we took part in a challenge where we were up against Mallaig High
School. We had to build a raft made from only barrels and ropes. Mallaig High School won but we all had a brilliant
day and I can't wait until the next trip—Skiing and Snowboarding!
Emma Fraser 3RS