Eat your heart out, Jamie Oliver – when it comes to cooking under pressure at a busy hotel, three Travel Weekly readers know only too well what it entails.
The travel agent finalists in the Travel Weekly Bourne Leisure Agent Masterchef competition went head to head in a cook-off at Thoresby Hall Hotel & Spa in Nottinghamshire.
Elaine Nicholson, manager of Midcounties Co-op’s The Co-operative Travel in Halesowen, West Midlands; Debra Barnsley, sales consultant at The Holiday Shop in Sheffield; and Karen Moore, manager of Strachan Travel in Thornton, Lancashire, were tasked with producing an English main course ‘with a twist’ in the hotel’s kitchens.
In true Masterchef style, judges Lucy Huxley, Travel Weekly editor-in-chief; Allan Lambert, Bourne Leisure head of retail sales; and Warren Jones, head chef at Thoresby Hall, who was also the chef at Cheryl and Ashley Cole’s wedding, tasted all three dishes before giving their verdict.
The judges were impressed by all three, but Elaine Nicholson was named the winner after cooking traditional pork with an apple twist.
“My jaw must have hit the floor because I was so shocked,” said Elaine. “I love cooking but I don’t cook much at home because my partner loves cooking, so I let him do it most of the time!”
Finalist Karen Moore
Unlike the other finalists, Elaine only found out she was taking part at the last minute when another contestant dropped out. “I said I would love to do it but it meant I only had one day to practise,” she said.
Elaine won a meal for two at one of Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurants while all three finalists received a Jamie Oliver cook book and bottle of champagne. To top it off, Elaine was told her main course would appear on the menu at Thoresby Hall.
Runner-up Debra, who cooked Boozy Beef with a Devil Salsa, said the hard work had been worthwhile.
“I was as nervous as anything but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had only ever cooked my dish once before a year ago and was supposed to practise it again on the staff at work but they all got the flu, so I didn’t get a chance.”
Karen, who cooked a Best Ever Fish Pie, agreed: “It was stressful in the kitchen; I don’t know how chefs cope! It’s very different when you are not cooking in your own house.”
The chance to take part in a personal challenge, as well as to go behind the scenes of a hotel, made the experience more memorable – and easier to sell Warner hotels back in the office.
Karen said: “You don’t normally get the chance to speak to the chefs and waiters on fam trips, but we also got to relax and enjoy the entertainment.”
Elaine, who was experiencing a Warner Hotels property for the first time, said: “You imagine everyone will be playing bridge and sipping tea but there were all sorts of activities going on from Zumba dancing to a Nintendo Wii tournament in the bar. The brochure doesn’t really do it justice.”
Debra added: “For me to do this was a big challenge and experiencing Thoresby Hall was something I have wanted to do. I really enjoyed it. I have seen it in a different light, seeing how the kitchen works and the entertainment and the activities.”
All three say the experience has inspired them to cook more – and has also encouraged their staff to take part in more competitions as a way of increasing their knowledge of the industry.
“My staff can’t wait for the competition to run again next year,” said Elaine.
What they cooked
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
Elaine Nicholson | Debra Barnsley | Karen Moore |
| Traditional Pork with an Apple Twist: pork fillets with apple and raisin compote and savoy cabbage with cider cream | Boozy Beef with a Devil Salsa: fillet of beef marinated in garlic, chilli flakes and vodka, wrapped in a damson jam, with a layer of potatoes fried with wilted spinach and chilli salsa | Best Ever Fish Pie: cod loin, haddock and salmon with a creamy mustard and onion sauce with spinach, topped with mashed potato |
What the judges said
Allan Lambert, head of retail sales, Bourne Leisure: “While we were extremely impressed by the high standard of all three contestants, Elaine’s Traditional Pork with an Apple Twist was the most complete dish in terms of taste and presentation.”
Warren Jones, head chef at Thoresby Hall: “It was a real pleasure to work with all three travel agents, who proved themselves to be extremely competent cooks. The combination of Elaine’s kitchen skills, creativity and understanding of balance of flavours made her stand out as our winning Agent Masterchef. We were so impressed by her dish that we have decided to include it on our menu to give our guests a chance to try them.”
Lucy Huxley, TWgroup editor-in-chief: “I was really impressed by the standard of all the menus and the agents’ conduct in the kitchen. I would have been happy to pay for any of them in a restaurant and I’ll definitely be stealing the recipes.”