Future Culinary Stars Shine in ‘Chef of the Year’ Cook-off at Harrogate College

Written by James Beaumont on May 15, 2025. Posted in News

Harrogate College’s hospitality students played a key supporting role in a high-pressure cook-off that saw four of the town’s most promising chefs compete for the prestigious Chef of the Year title.

Part of the 2025 Harrogate Hospitality & Tourism Awards (HHTA), the event was held in the college’s professional-standard training kitchens and gave Harrogate College’s hospitality students the opportunity to support the event through logistics and food preparation.

They worked closely with the competitors – observing, assisting, and learning from the region’s culinary elite – gaining valuable insight into real world culinary environments.

The finalists were challenged to create two standout dishes – a refined amuse-bouche and an impressive main course – under the watchful eyes of industry judges and with just 90 minutes on the clock.

Adding to the challenge, the chefs had to work from a mystery box of ingredients revealed on the day, using only equipment provided on-site, with the exception of one personal item. To ensure a fair judging process, the competition was carried out blind, with dishes delivered to the judging panel anonymously.

Danny Wild, Principal of Harrogate College, said: “We were absolutely delighted to host this year’s Chef of the Year cook-off. Not only was it a fantastic showcase of local culinary talent, but it also gave our students the chance to see the very best of the industry in action – right here on campus. Supporting the next generation of chefs and helping to raise the profile of hospitality in Harrogate is something we’re very proud to be part of.”

The event, designed to shine a spotlight on the exceptional hospitality talent in the region, forms part of the lead-up to the main awards evening on Monday 2 June, where the overall winner will be announced.

Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough and an advocate for the town’s famous hospitality and tourism sector, said: “Events like these provide a brilliant way to celebrate and champion the vital role hospitality plays in our local economy. The culinary skill and creativity on show is truly inspiring, and it’s great to see Harrogate College playing a central role in nurturing future talent.”

Harrogate’s Hospitality and Tourism Awards have been running now for 17 years to celebrate the best of the best that the town has to offer. With hospitality representing a central feature within Harrogate’s economy, these awards capture the imagination of all who work directly or indirectly in hospitality and tourism, as well as many of the general public who use the many bars, restaurants, hotels, cafes and other supporting attractions.

Simon Cotton, Organiser of Harrogate Hospitality & Tourism Awards, said: “The Chef of the Year is one of the most prestigious of the 12 categories in the awards and is a very much sought-after accolade. Several years ago, with the help of Harrogate College, the competition stepped up a significant level, with the introduction of a blind cook-off in the college’s catering kitchens.

“Working with Harrogate College is an absolute pleasure and it is fantastic that their young student chefs work alongside the competitor chefs helping develop their own skills and hopefully inspiring the next generation.”

The cook-off highlighted the creativity, technical skill and passion that exist within Harrogate’s hospitality scene – offering a taste of what’s to come at the Harrogate Hospitality & Tourism Awards in June.

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Navigating the post-16 education maze

Written by James Beaumont on February 18, 2025. Posted in Members, News

For so many people, Level 3 qualifications represent a vital step towards their future career – but the array of options available, in both vocational and academic routes, can be baffling. With the government’s review of a proposed overhaul of these courses now complete, has the path become any clearer?

For students and parents alike the sheer breadth of options available in post-16 education can be both exciting and a little overwhelming.

The previous government, in a bid to improve skills and employability while streamlining the system, began a wide-ranging reform of Level 3 qualifications which looked at everything from BTECs and T Levels, to A levels and apprenticeships.

The stated aim, to create “clearly defined academic and technical routes” for post-16 progression, was admirable. But the shake-up also carried real risks, not least through the proposed ending of hundreds of courses, including many BTECs; with the worry being that some learners could be left with nowhere to go.

So the current government’s decision to hold a review of the reform process, to end some of that uncertainty, was welcome. Now we have the outcomes of that review, what is the outlook for colleges like ours and prospective students?

The headline result is that no fewer than 157 of those originally under-threat qualifications will continue, at least for the next year or two. We also have assurances that the defunding of certain qualifications will be done in phases, to minimise disruption and allow for a more managed change.

Of equal importance is the government’s decision to leave the question of what combinations of qualifications education providers can offer to them. Its report, The outcomes of the Review of Qualifications Reform at Level 3 in England, states: “It should be for colleges and sixth forms to work with students to devise the best mix for each individual.”

That makes perfect sense as each area’s college is much better-placed than the Department for Education to know what skills-blend is actually needed by its local economy, and therefore its learners. Many colleges have spent decades building up strong working relationships with their region’s businesses and organisations, and sometimes formalised this process – as we have through Harrogate College Employers’ Network – to increase its effectiveness.

Doing so reaps all kinds of tangible benefits. For our students, for example, it has led to collaboration and work experience with respected organisations like RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Rudding Park and Techbuyer, to name a few. Our partnership with Harrogate District Hospital, meanwhile, has secured T Level placements, supported internships and a variety of apprenticeship opportunities.

And our business links also ensure a steady stream of fact-finding trips for our learners to places like Energy Oasis, Transdev Blazefield, top tier local restaurants and West Yorkshire Police’s training centre at Carr Gate Complex, while local businesses regularly visit our campus to share their expertise.

These kinds of experiences, the result of hard-won grassroots knowledge and years of networking, are mirrored in colleges across the country. So it is pleasing to see the government, in its findings, acknowledge the value of that.

The review report notes that: ‘Students and employers need a simpler range of high-quality qualifications, which provide them with the skills they need’. With funding set to be removed from more than 200 less popular courses, the simplification part of that ambition seems to have been at least partially accomplished.

The challenge has been to ‘trim away the fat’ while ensuring the courses that remain offer a valuable and accessible pathway for students of all kinds of ability levels.

That appears to have been achieved, as learners still have a rich and layered range of routes into their chosen career or next educational stage, outside of the traditional academic route of A levels-then-university.

T Levels, which blend classroom learning with substantial industry placements, are the high-level technical option that the government is particularly keen to promote. It is easy to see their appeal: not only do they give learners a ‘head start’ and experience in their chosen field, but also – with each T Level being worth the equivalent of three A levels – offer an alternative path to university.

Alongside these exist a wide range of BTEC and other applied general technical qualifications which also support progression into work or higher education. These qualifications cover subjects ranging from electrical engineering, bricklaying and childcare to business and marketing, creative media and uniformed protective services. And then there are all the apprenticeship and internship options, which can provide direct routes into so many different kinds of jobs.

So, there’s still plenty to consider for those mulling over their next steps. The important thing for prospective students to remember is that teachers, careers advisers and colleges, across Yorkshire and the UK, are here to help them decide what will work best for them: the door is open.

Danny Wild is Principal of Harrogate College, which is a member of Luminate Education Group.

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College stepping up to meet the electric vehicle challenge

Written by James Broadhurst on April 8, 2022. Posted in Environment, News

More training to support the country’s transition to electric cars will be introduced at Harrogate College this September.

Harrogate, as recently widely reported in the media*, has been revealed to be one of the ‘worst prepared areas in the UK’ in terms of supporting the shift to electric vehicles.

Those findings were mainly based on the current scarcity of public charging points, with research showing that the district has just one for every 134 electric or hybrid cars.

Harrogate College, however, is working hard to address the issue by providing technical courses to support the electric vehicle (EV) sector – and has just bought some charging units to use in training this September.

Working with businesses to fill the green skills gap

Principal Danny Wild said: “As a college committed to sustainability, we are determined to support emerging green technologies, including those that will enable our transition to greener forms of transport.

“We have been developing our curriculum to provide electric vehicle infrastructure courses, while tailoring our motor vehicle courses to meet the changes in car ownership.

“In doing so we have also been working closely with local firms so we can provide the appropriately skilled, work-ready students they need.

“The electric vehicle sector is a rapidly growing one that represents a fantastic opportunity for both our students and local businesses, and our ever-evolving range of courses will keep adapting to serve that.”

Harrogate district’s electric vehicle future is bright

APS, which runs a national electric vehicle charger repair and maintenance service from its Harrogate HQ, has partnered with the college to set up a training and recruitment programme to meet the growing demand for EV service engineers.

Business Development Manager John Dyson said that was one of many reasons for optimism: “It is ironic that Harrogate has been criticised so strongly for a lack of action over installing EV chargers, when there actually is so much going on behind the scenes.

“Recent announcements by Transdev, that all Harrogate buses are to be electrified, and Harrogate Borough Council, which is to install 34 charge points in local car parks, gives a taste of just what is on its way!”

The college will introduce a new course, the Level 3 Award in the Installation and Commissioning of Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment, this September.

*For example, in this Harrogate Advertiser report.

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