Two chefs at Stepping Hill Hospital have been named as finalists in a national 'NHS chef of the year' competition.

Slavka Vaysilova and Michelle Robinson are both in the finals after succeeding in the regional heats, held in Manchester. The pair impressed the judges with their courses of tumbet, beef wellington, and cherry chocolate brownie.

The competition is run by NHS England, with finals due to take place in York.

"The idea is to showcase the high standards in nutrition, taste, and sustainability which can be achieved in NHS kitchens across the nation", a spokesperson said.

Stockport already has top form in this competition; in 2022, then-assistant head chefs Erica Bell and Shelley Pearson-Smith were named winners of the competition. They were named NHS chefs of the year and received congratulations from Prue Leith, from The Great British Bake Off.

Patients at Stepping Hill recently got to try some of Slavka and Michelle's delicious recipes (Image - Alasdair Perry)

The Stockport NHS catering team have also won a number of national and regional awards recognising their high standards in recent years, and were once again accredited as an 'exemplar site' by NHS England earlier in the year. 

Erica Bell, now a trust services manager in catering at Stockport NHS, said: "The whole team are absolutely delighted for Slavka and Michelle and their success.

"I know from my own personal experience how tough the competition is, and they've very clearly stepped up to the plate.

"It was great for us and our patients and visitors to be able to taste their recipes themselves and see just how good they were. We wish Slavka and Michelle  all the best for when the reach the final in York in October." 

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