Signature dish

All great chefs have their signature dish, and Ash Davies hopes his can prove three times lucky as he competes in a national competition.

Ash’s mouthwatering leak and potato soup with garlic butter croquette was the first dish he ever prepared at catering college, and it also won him the Dormy Care Communities Chef of the Year title.

Ash, who works at Brockington House Care Community, is now hoping the dish will propel him to victory in the prestigious Creed Foodservice Care Chef of the Year competition.

In the first round, entrants had to submit a recipe for a meal that would be suitable for someone in a care setting with a level of Dysphagia which is a condition which prevents them from eating a normal consistent diet.

“The organisers then got back to me and invited me to Rugby College to prepare it in the final,” said Ash. “That was a bit of a shock but at least it’s a dish I have cooked before so I’m looking forward to it.”

Throughout his training with Brockington House, Ash, 27, has developed an interest in creating recipes aligned to the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative.

The skill is in preparing easily digestible meals that look and taste great so that everyone can sit down to enjoy together whether they have Dysphagia or not and so avoid the isolation that the condition can sometimes bring.

“This meal is perfect because it looks attractive and as it’s a soup those with Dysphagia will hopefully give it a go and once they taste it they’ll want to finish it all,” said Ash.

“It’s a good way to get a lot of goodness into people, not too intimidating, easy to digest and packed with vegetables, dairy and some good fat.”

The competition has been organised by Creed Foodservice which for over 50 years has specialised in providing food and ingredients to the care, education, leisure, and hospitality sectors.

Ash is one of only four chefs who have made it through the final which will take place at Rugby College on October 31st.

Dormy Care Communities’ Executive Chef James Thomas said: “Ash is a fantastic chef and his work to understand Dysphagia and how that has benefited the ladies and gentlemen who live at Brockington House is particularly admirable.

“There couldn’t be a more deserving winner and everyone at Dormy Care Communities is rooting for him in the competition.”