Elior UK has been named Best Team – La Parade des Chefs (La Parade only) at the prestigious Parade des Chefs competition at Hotelympia and awarded a gold medal – thanks to a winning menu and skilled team.

Ten teams took turns over the five days of the show to prepare a three course meal for 100 covers in the glass-walled kitchens of the fine dining restaurant, Parade des Chefs.

The Elior team’s winning menu - citrus and dill cured sea trout with crispy scallop, orange and fennel; Launceston lamb three ways with “cabbage and bacon” and thyme baked beets; and banana cheesecake with warm sticky date pudding and salted peanut ice cream - struck just the right note and secured the coveted Award.

Tim Hammond, CEO of Elior UK, says: “Elior takes pride in providing joy, pleasure and service with a smile to customers at over 650 sites across the country, so we’re delighted that the culinary skill of our chefs has been recognised at Hotelympia.”

It was no mean feat to serve up such a meal for so many covers and under such pressure. The diners included a table of invited industry figures who also required amuse-bouche and pre-desserts.

The Elior team - Mark Crowe, Hayden Groves, Peter Joyner, Ryan Hodges, Andrew Biggs, Ben Mansfield and Jack Malins - also took home the top award on the day for the food safety challenge, judged by a team of specialist Environmental Health Inspectors.