Kitchen Porter of the Year 2015 | Winterhalter

Does your KP go the extra mile? Or have that extra something? Then it’s time to nominate them for the KP of the Year competition.

A good kitchen porter is priceless says Kingham Plough's chef proprietor Emily Watkins

This year the prizes include £1,000 cash for the winner, plus a brand new Winterhalter dish- or glasswasher for the winner’s establishment, worth up to £8,000. The KP of the Year is all about celebrating the contribution that kitchen porters make to the foodservice industry. “Ask any chef how they’d get by without a KP and you’ll find out just how important they are,” says Stephen Kinkead, managing director of Winterhalter, the company behind the awards scheme. “They are the foundation on which kitchen operations and schedules are built –the absolute lynchpin of our industry.” For 2015 Winterhalter is keen to encourage entries from as many sectors of the catering industry as possible. “Hotels, hospitals, pubs, prisons, schools, social clubs, restaurants, recreation centres – you name it, we’d love to hear from you.” Every KP who is nominated will receive a KPotY Oliver Harvey

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presentation tin and apron. Plus the company is giving cash prizes of £250 for each of the two runners up, and there’s a celebratory meal for the overall winner and their friends, family or colleagues.

Sean Searley of the Quality Chop House discusses KP of the Year with Winterhalter's MD Stephen Kinkead

“We’ve also tried to make the 2015 entry form as quick and easy as possible for people nominating their KP” says Stephen. “It only takes a few minutes to do – if you’re thinking of entering your KP for the award, why not do it today?” The Kitchen Porter of the Year competition was launched in 2013 in order to celebrate the work of these overlooked heroes of the professional kitchen. Shaun Searley of The Quality Chop House supports the competition, saying: “Many people don’t understand what kitchen porters go through on a daily basis.” “They are so often left out of the appreciation loop. We need to show that appreciation – KPs are a really integral cog in the make-up of a restaurant.”

For more information and to nominate, visit www.kpoftheyear.com

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