Risotto masterclass prepares Fife College culinary arts students for national competition

11 October 2022

Culinary arts students at Fife College have been given a masterclass on how to prepare the classic Italian dish risotto as part of preparations for a national competition.

The demonstration by Jason Morrison, Managing Director of Gallo UK, and chef Andrew Rogerson, from Essential Cuisine, was organised ahead of the Scottish heat of the Young Risotto Chef 2023 competition.

The Scottish heat of the UK-wide competition, which searches for young chefs with the ability to inject personality, passion and creativity into their own vibrant and exciting risotto dish, will be hosted at Fife College next January.

The Young Risotto Chef is sponsored by Gallo, Europe’s largest grain specialists, who supply chefs around the world with the finest Italian grains for six generations.

Ahead of the heat, students from several culinary arts courses at the College’s Kirkcaldy campus were given a presentation on the production of rice and the history of the Gallo brand.

Students were then shown each step of the risotto recipe, including some top tips on how to best put the dish together should they decide to take part in the competition. The students then recreated the famous Italian dish in class following the demonstration.

Now in its sixth year, the grand final of the 2023 competition is scheduled to be staged at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London next April.

Professional cookery student, Alexander Munro, said:

"I am so excited to get my entry in, I have two risottos in mind, one using salmon and one with garlic and saffron. I can't wait to start practising"

Michael Henderson, Culinary Arts Academic and Quality Lead at Fife College, said:

“We were delighted to have Andrew and Jason come in to deliver a session on how to cook the perfect risotto to our Culinary Arts students.

“The session was a brilliant opportunity for students to find out more about the dish ahead of the Young Risotto Chef competition.

“I’m sure many of our students will be inspired to get involved in the Scottish heat of the competition, which we are excited to host early next year in our fantastic new training kitchens here at Fife College."