The Cannock Chase MP nominated Sidney Haywood, Chef at the Rag at Rawnsley, as the Cannock Chase entry into the national Pub Chef of the Year competition. The competition saw chefs from across the country battle it out to be crowned national "Pub Chef of the Year".
The competition was launched by the British Beer & Pub Association and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, in partnership with Nestlé Professional. Last year the prestigious award took nominations from Members of Parliament to recognise a pub chef in their constituency who is renowned for their great food.
With a national shortage of pub chefs this competition was also designed to raise awareness of the opportunities catering offers as a career choice.
Amanda Milling said: "Whilst it is disappointing that Sidney didn't make the final, I was delighted to present him with his certificate to recognise his great pub food. Anyone who has eaten at the Rag in Rawnsley will know how good the food is. Sidney was a very worthy entry and I am sure he will be back next year to fly the flag for Cannock Chase."
The visit also gave Amanda the opportunity to learn more about the catering profession and the challenges faced by pub owners in terms of recruiting more chefs.
She added: "It was very interesting to hear about the difficulties pubs have recruiting chefs and how there is a shortage of people going into the industry, especially the challenges they face in terms of finding apprentices locally. The government has a commitment to create 3 million apprenticeships in this Parliament and, as a strong advocate of apprenticeships myself, I will be raising these issues with the government."