Fife Primary School Pupils Quiz Top UK Chef Duo

A Fife primary school has hosted a visit by two of the country’s most-acclaimed chefs who were quizzed by the pupils on their careers and their rise to TV stardom.

Two winners of BBC MasterChef: The Professionals – Gary Maclean, the current title holder and Jamie Scott, the 2014 winner – visited Newport Primary School to inspire pupils to enjoy a healthy, balanced diet and the role of great local ingredients, like Scotch Beef PGI.

The two champions spoke to an audience of over 200 pupils about the importance of learning to cook and a healthy balanced diet as well as their careers and experiences of appearing on MasterChef.

Pupils and teachers then took the opportunity to ask the top chefs a whole range of questions including what their favourite food was, why they enjoyed being chefs, and if the skills test on MasterChef: The Professionals was as scary as it looked. Both chefs answered yes to that question!

Gary said: “Meeting Jamie today was great as he was one of the inspirations which spurred me on to try to get on to MasterChef: The Professionals.

“I was also really impressed with the questions the children asked and their genuine interest in learning more about healthy food and careers in the food industry.”

“I love being a chef.  As a career it gives you great opportunities and a huge variety of work from working in restaurants, teaching, travelling and inspiring children about the benefits of cooking from scratch and the impact that can have on, not only their diets, but their lives.”

Jamie Scott, who won MasterChef: The Professionals in 2014, and now owns the Newport Restaurant, located just a short distance from the school, said: “I’ve had a fantastic time speaking to such a great bunch of enthusiastic kids.

“It’s so important that children have the opportunity to be inspired about a healthy diet, but also that they have a good understanding of where food comes from and how to cook tasty, nutritious meals.

“It’s also been great to finally meet Gary and have a chat about our MasterChef experience!”

Head Teacher Jill Crichton said it had been an absolute pleasure to have Gary and Jamie visit the school.

“This was an amazing opportunity for the children to meet Gary and Jamie who are such fantastic, inspirational role models.

“Many of the older children have followed Gary and Jamie through their MasterChef journeys so to have them here, answering questions about how they became chefs, how they cook at home and, of course, their experiences on MasterChef: The Professionals, was just fantastic. They are welcome back at any time!”

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), which organised the visit, is currently delivering a major Scotch Beef marketing campaign, aimed at raising the profile Scotch Beef PGI and the flavour, provenance and integrity which underpin the brand’s PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status.

London, and the home counties, is the focus of the two-month campaign which aims to communicate the exceptional taste and quality of the Scotch Beef brand which has earned a global reputation for quality and flavour.

Carol McLaren, Head of Communications at QMS, thanked Gary and Jamie for visiting the school and sharing the passion they have for top quality food.

“Both Gary and Jamie are great advocates for using quality, local products, such as Scotch Beef PGI, to create fantastic meals and we are proud to be working with them.

“They are also first class role models, demonstrating to our chefs of the future that with passion and commitment you can reach your goals.”