17 April 2025 
Bethany Hancock, CUBO Communications Officer
Over 100 competitors battled it out at the University of Warwick on the 15th and 16th April to win top prizes at the prestigious event.
Cheered on by a plethora of supporters, chefs, baristas and mixologists gathered for two days of intense competition, giving them the opportunity to showcase their skills and harness their creativity.
Amongst the staple challenges such as Barista Skills, Seafood Skills and Mixology, new for this year was the Sandwich Challenge where chefs were tasked with producing one hot and one cold sandwich. Harry Long-Maclennan from Liverpool Hope University received Best in Class in the sandwich category. He said: “every time you finish a competition you never know how you’ve done, but I’m absolutely buzzing. I think I went for a slightly different flavour profile than the other competitors – I have a background in Middle Eastern cuisine so wanted to bring that in. I also made my own bread.”
Love British Food category Best in Class winner was awarded to Andy Cornall at the University of Leeds. He said: “everything I used in the dish came from within a five-mile radius of where I live. It was local ingredients start to finish and really represents a taste of Yorkshire. I knew I’d executed my dish well, but the competition was at a massively high standard this year so I’m made up with the win. I’ve really enjoyed my experience at the TUCO Competitions as they push you out of your comfort zone, which progresses you as a chef.”
Amanda Pettingill, TUCO Chair, says: “The talent and skills on show at the TUCO Competitions gets better and better every year, and it was great to see the level of support for the competitors which made for a brilliant atmosphere. Congratulations to all the winners, and a huge thank you to all our sponsors who helped make the event a huge success – Brakes, Britvic, Cafeology, LWC, Nisbets, Real Wrap Co and Steelite International”.
Take a look at the full list of challenges, and their winners, below.
Barista Skills
A live 15-minute competition producing four espressos, four milk or milk alternative drinks and four espresso-based, non-alcoholic specialty drinks.
Bronze
Alejandra Rodriguez - IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
Brandon Morrison - UNIVERSITY OF BATH *best signature drink*
Silver
Maddie Jordan-Lee - ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY
George Mitea - UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
Gold
Immacolata Venditto - CARDIFF UNIVERSITY *best in class*
Kelan Simpson - UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Best Burger Challenge
Competitors had 45 minutes to produce two portions with a twist on the recognised burger offer, using any main filling and ingredients: meat, fish, vegetarian or vegan.
Bronze
Nick Walker - UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
Mattie Crooks - UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
Federica Laudani - UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Monica Dragan - UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
Silver
Duncan Swan - UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
Gold
Attila Fejes - LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY *best in class*
Chefs’ Challenge
The Chefs' Challenge is for a team of two chefs challenged to cook a three-course meal of two covers in two hours. This year, chefs created their menu in advance using a specified food cost budget for the entire menu.
Bronze
Pedro Da Gama & Newton Dias - IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
Neil Finnigan & Justin Pilkington - LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY
Chris Bowes & Lewis Huggins - SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY
Dan Lawrence & Steve Sadler - UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
Tom Armstrong & Peter Baren - UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD
Ian Litchfield & Raff Stravino - UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
Silver
Robert Bates & Gary Griffiths - UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
Janet Szypillo & Nick Denning - UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Gold
Aaron Tong & Rob Hargreaves - UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
Joseph Latham & Ashley Podgers - UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER *best in class*
Love British Food
The Love British Food challenge is to deliver two portions of a plated main course using a supplied British protein with suitable garnish and accompaniments. Competitor had 45 minutes to produce two portions of the dish.
Bronze:
Robert McQueen - STRATHCLYDE UNIVERSITY
Mark Pilling - UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
Richard Thomas-Still - UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Silver:
Pedro Da Gama - IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
Neil Finnigan - LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY
Kevin Whitcher - SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY
Gold:
Andy Cornall - UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS *best in class*
Mixology
Competitors produced 2 identical serves of: a signature cocktail, a mocktail using a set list of ingredients (NEW), and a cocktail from a pre-published list of eight classic cocktails.
Bronze:
Petruta-Lacramioara Gisca - IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
Bianca Ciobanu - IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
Bharath Kumar - KING'S COLLEGE LONDON
Silver:
Declan Sloan - AYRSHIRE COLLEGE
Soumyarup Talukdar - KING'S COLLEGE LONDON
Natasha Vahey - UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
Gold:
Peter Kolcun - UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Nicolas Berasain - UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS *best in class* *best signature drink*
Sandwich Challenge
Competitors were given 30-minutes to produce one hot and one cold sandwich, served plated and garnished appropriately.
Bronze:
Maddie Selley - KING'S COLLEGE LONDON
Harry Long-Maclennan - LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY *best in class*
Nicky Stanbury - UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Duncan Swan - UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
Seafood Skills
Competitors had 45 minutes to produce two portions of a main seafood dish.
Bronze:
Justin Pilkington - LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY
Nick Wright - SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY
Francesca Sicuso - UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Silver:
Andy Cornall - UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS *best in class*
Vegan Challenge
Competitors were tasked with producing a plated vegan dish that will appeal to vegans, vegetarians & meat eaters alike.
Bronze:
Ben Dawney - UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Richard Thomas-Still - UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Silver:
Angeline Sharp - CARDIFF UNIVERSITY *best in class*
Harry Long-Maclennan - LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY
