Generations of farmers supporting generations of chefs

Craig Smith

Craig Smith

Other 9th June 2022
Craig Smith

Generations of farmers supporting generations of chefs

Lakeland Dairies partner the Craft Guild of Chefs’ Graduate Awards 


Dairy experts Lakeland Dairies have partnered with the Craft Guild of Chefs to sponsor their 2022 Graduate Awards. 

The prestigious Graduate Scheme is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with an enhanced programme devised by the panel of judges, including Steve Munkley, Russell Bateman and Will Torrent. 

Exclusively, Lakeland Dairies’ high-quality milk, butters, creams, and cream alternatives will be used in the Graduate Awards pastry exam, providing an opportunity for chefs to discover the taste and functionality of their dairy from the island of Ireland. Lakeland Dairies will also sponsor every finalist with a one-year annual membership to the Craft Guild of Chefs. 

Jean Cattanach, Marketing Controller at Lakeland Dairies said: “As a Dairy Co-Operative with a long heritage of supporting family farms being passed through generations, it’s long been our ambition to help inspire and support the next generation of chefs. With several generations of farming families within our Co-operative we understand the importance of nurturing the next generation and creating a legacy of expertise for the future.” 

“Partnering the Craft Guild of Chefs Graduate Awards is one such way in which we hope to fulfil that ambition. We are extremely excited to engage directly with young chefs at such a critical point in their career, and to support important career progression opportunities such as The Graduate Awards. We can’t wait to share our farming heritage and dairy expertise with the chefs and see what thrilling dishes they create. This is alongside creating excitement for dairy from Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is known for being some of the best in the world.” 

The pastry exam within The Graduate Awards is aimed at young pastry chefs and chocolatiers or level 3 students studying pastry. Known for accelerating the careers of ambitious and talented young chefs, The Graduate Awards have seen its alumni go on to win some of the UK’s most respected culinary titles including Michelin Stars. 

Steve Munkley, Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs and Culinary Director of The Graduate Awards said: “We are delighted that Lakeland Dairies have joined The Graduate Awards. It’s never been a more important time to help chefs progress in their career.”

Lakeland Dairies has a long heritage of excellence in dairy farming and remains a 100% farmer-owned Irish Dairy Co-Operative. It is one of the largest dairy co-operatives on the island of Ireland, processing over 2billion litres of fresh wholesome milk annually, collected from their 3,200 family farms. 

The winner will be announced at a celebratory lunch on the 12th September at the Lancaster Hotel, London.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.