Two hospital chefs in Bradford are dishing up a recipe for success in a national competition.

Philip Webster and Stephen Dunwell have cooked their way into the finals of a competition to find the country's top team of hospital chefs.

The pair have devised their own vegetarian menu with a Scottish flavour as part of the competition and have also written an essay on the nutritional benefits of vegetarianism.

They will battle it out with chefs from hospitals from all over the country at the final of the Hospital Caterers Team of the Year, run by the Hospital Caterers' Association, at Earl's Court in London next week. They will have just an hour to prepare, cook and serve their menu choices.

A panel of judges will taste their starter of a warm polenta salad followed by a main course of baked vegetarian haggis with neeps and tatties which proved a hit in regional heats.

Staff at the hospital have already tucked into the haggis which was a big success as the vegetarian dish in Christmas dinners.

Pam Miller, catering contracts manager at Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "More than a million meals are served to patients and staff at Bradford's hospitals each year. We pride ourselves on being able to offer patients and staff as much choice and variation on their menu as possible.

"Philip and Stephen's recipes demonstrate there is no shortage of culinary flair and innovation in our kitchens."

Sarah Sharpe, group general catering manager at Bateman Healthcare Services which provides catering services at the hospitals, said their success in the competition was a real reward for their skills.

"The menus they have devised are not make-believe ones. The haggis main course was included as our vegetarian dish for staff Christmas lunches and they loved it."

Philip and Stephen donated £50 they won in regional heats to the T&A-backed Bradford Millennium Scanner Appeal.

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