Radcliffe House Chef and second prize winner Stuart Hope

Originally published 20 April 1999

The cream of the UK's conference centre chefs came to the University of Warwick at the weekend in the first ever competition to find the UK's best conference centre chef.

The event organised by Conference Centres of Excellence a consortium 24 of the UK's leading independent conference centres, was won by Lee Gaskins, Sous Chef, Woodside Conference Centre, in Kenilworth. Coventry man Stuart Hope, Senior Chef de Partie, at the University of Warwick's own Radcliffe House, Conference Centre took the prize for second place, and Barry MacMillan, Sous Chef at Hitchin Priory, took the prize for third place.

The event, held in the University of Warwick's Scarman House Conference Centre, was the first of what will in future be an annual event. Both the 200 bedroom Scarman House and 154 bedroom Radcliffe House are members of the exclusive Conference Centres of Excellence consortium, more details on the consortium can be found on the web at www.cceonline.co.uk.

Scarman and Radcliffe House Manger Brian Healy, currently the chairman of that consortium, said:

"An ever-growing number of organisations are now turning first to Conference Centres of Excellence, drawing on our high standards in everything from meeting facilities to cuisine. This competition to find helps and encourages our top flight team of chefs to further hone their already considerable skills."

Note for Editors: the event was sponsored by: Hayley Conference Centres, Conference Venues CountryWide, and Matthew Clark Wholesale.

For further details please contact:

Brian Healy,
General Manager, Scarman House and Radcliffe House
Chairman, Conference Centres of Excellence
Tel: 01203 764000