What a soup-er kids competition, says MasterChef’s Simon

Simon is an award-winning private chef who reached the top 10 of MasterChef in 2018 and now runs the private catering and events company Knife Fork and Spooner based near Stamford.

Simon commented: “The Kids Country Winter Warmer Soup Challenge covers many things that are close to my heart, helping school children become more at home with great seasonal British produce and learning important nutrition and cooking skills.”

The annual cooking competition gives primary schools the opportunity to win a £200 first prize for their school – jointly donated between Central England Co-operative and Kids Country - as well as the coveted Winter Warmer Soup Challenge Trophy and a behind the scenes visit to a local farm, subject to Covid-19 restrictions.

The challenge is to devise a recipe for a Winter Warmer soup. There is no cooking involved at this stage – just creativity.

Sandra Lauridsen, education manager for Kids Country, the East of England Agricultural Society’s education programme, says: “We are thrilled that we can still run our popular cooking challenge this winter, despite the restrictions that the Covid-19 pandemic has put on so many activities for children this year.

“We are grateful to Simon for joining the competition as our head judge, and he will be cooking up the three finalists’ recipes at the final stage of the competition.

“We hope that the Winter Warmer Soup Challenge will give primary schools an 
opportunity to not only engage with seasonal British produce, but also that it will be something that children can really put their imagination into.”

More information entry details can be found on the Kids Country events page: https://www.kids-country.co.uk/events/