Elior has taken home 14 medals at this year’s Salon Culinaire including a gold for Hayden Groves’ part in the English National Culinary Team, who were named overall winners in the La Parade des Chefs restaurant competition.

Going for gold

Lloyds of London Executive Chef Hayden joined Nick Wort, Andrew Ditchfield, Adam Smith, Clark Crawley, Dominic Barham and KP Abdoulaye Fadiaba to form the English National Culinary Team and cooked a three course meal for 100 covers.

Battling against Scotland and Wales they prepared a winning menu of fillet of Atlantic halibut with royale of langoustine, celeriac, spiced apple gel and sauce nantua for their starter, a main course of thyme roasted Exmoor venison, braised bonbon of venison, wood-smoked parsnip, confit of savoy cabbage and buttered fondant potato, and ended the meal with maple cream, sticky toffee pudding and salted caramel crunch.

Success across the board

Elior chefs were awarded medals in the  Lexington Food Service Challenge, the Restaurant Plates Fish Course competition, the Restaurant Plates Main Course competition, Major International Contract Catering/Football Stadia Awards, Contract Caterers Challenge and the Elior Apprentice Skills Challenge.

“We’re delighted that Elior has performed so well at this year’s show,” says Peter Joyner, Food Development Director, Elior UK. “From Hayden and the team scooping gold to great results in the Major International Contract Catering/Football Stadia Awards and the Contract Caterers Challenge – the standard of skill and expertise demonstrated by our chefs has been phenomenal.

“A special mention must go to our apprentices; many of whom haven’t been cooking for very long. They shone in the Elior Apprentice Skills Challenge, showing a high level of culinary talent and a determination to succeed.”

This year's show, which was held at the NEC Birmingham from 24-26 January, played host to almost 60 competitions.

Full Elior results:

La Parade Des Chefs

English National Culinary Team

Hayden Groves, Exec Chef Lloyds of London – Gold Medal and Overall Winning Team, beating the National teams of Wales and Scotland

Class PL13 – Lexington Food Service Challenge

Sponsor, Lexington Catering

Silver Medal & 1st in Class - Jon Seemann, Avenance at Aspen Re, London

Silver Medal - Virgil Naslenas, Avenance, Deutsche Bank, London

Class R2 – Restaurant Plates, Fish Course

Sponsor, The Worshipful Company of Cooks

Silver Medal - Jon Seemann, Avenance at Aspen Re, London

Class R3 – Restaurant Plates, Main Course

Sponsor, Craft Guild of Chefs

Bronze Medal - Jon Seemann, Avenance at Aspen Re, London

Class RP3 Elior Apprentice Skills Challenge

Sponsored and Organised by Elior UK

Gold Medal- Nikita Hoskins, DLA Leeds

Silver Medal - Tracy Perry, Grace Academy

Silver Medal - Georgina Koomson, Inmarsat

Bronze Medal - Kate Hamilton, Herts County Council

Bronze Medal - Richard Francis, Shrewsbury School

Bronze Medal - Jason Tytherleigh, Charterhouse School

Certificate of Merit - Jorge Gomes, Anderson Global Investors

Class K4 – Contract Caterers Challenge

Sponsor, Elior UK

Silver Medal and second in class, Daniel Towell, Avenance B&Q Head Office, Hants

Class PL4 – Major International Contract Catering/Football Stadia Awards

Sponsor, Major International

Merit - Jav Aziz and Paul Smith, Glasgow Rangers