Sanctuary Care chef triumphs in culinary contest

A talented Sanctuary Care chef has triumphed in the regional finals of a prestigious national cookery competition.

For the second consecutive year Mark Ord, head chef at Sanctuary’s state-of-the-art Wantage Nursing Home in Wantage, Oxfordshire, has won the South East Regional final of the National Association of Care Catering’s (NACC) Care Cook of the Year Competition.

Yesterday Mark, who has worked at Wantage Nursing Home since it opened in April 2008, went head to head with five other chefs in a 90-minute cook-off at Unilever Foodsolutions in Leatherhead, Surrey.

He wowed the judges with his mouth-watering menu of poached smoked haddock with eggs benedict, followed by vanilla cheesecake topped with poached rhubarb batons and was awarded with a place in the national finals of the competition, which will take place at the University College Birmingham on Tuesday 13th July.

Mark was not the only Sanctuary Care chef to taste success. Of the six finalists three of them were representing the leading UK care provider. Mark went head to head with colleague Suzanne Pinney, assistant chef at Hatfield Nursing & Residential Home in Hatfield, Hertfordshire whom he has personally mentored and David Hales, chef manager at Ashley House care home in Bordon, Hampshire. Suzanne came second place to Mark and David came in close behind in fourth place.

Speaking of his victory Mark said: “The standard of the entries was extremely high and I am just really pleased to have qualified through such a tough regional heat.

“I am really looking forward to the final in July. I think that the teamwork within Sanctuary Care’s catering entries and the support that we have received has been brilliant.”

Carole Dormer, Sanctuary Care’s hotel and catering services manager said: “The standard of the dishes this year was far superior to the previous year’s. There was a nail biting wait for the winners to be announced and when their names were called I was bursting with pride to have three contestants from Sanctuary Care placed within the first four.

“Mark once again excelled himself and it is a major achievement that once again he is going through to the final and we are all enormously proud of him.”

Mark, who won a Highly Commended prize in the national final of last year’s competition, added: “The three of us were really pleased to have got through to the regional finals and think it’s a great opportunity to showcase what chefs in the care industry can do.

“It is an extremely prestigious contest and therefore a great honour to be taking part and receiving recognition for my cooking.”

Karl Evans, Sanctuary Care’s hotel and catering services support manager added: “We are delighted with Mark’s success and that all of our chefs have been recognised externally by a national catering organisation. Sanctuary Care chefs have extremely high standards of service and are supported by excellent training and development programmes to help them achieve this standard.”

This is not the first time Mark has received recognition for his cooking. After last year’s national finals, he was chosen to represent the NACC at The Care Show London 2009 – the UK’s largest elderly care industry event, where he showcased his work in live cookery demonstrations.

In September he won a master class famous French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli at the Bel Cheese Academy in Hertfordshire after entering an online recipe competition for professional chefs.

Open to chefs/cooks in the care sector, entrants are challenged to create a main course and dessert for two people, which are suitable for service users in a care setting and cost no more than £1.30 per head.

The dishes will be judged on a range of factors, including innovation, cost, nutrition, balance and of course taste.

The contest, aimed to raise the profile of care catering, is one of the longest standing independent recipe competitions in the UK.