Talented care chefs showcased their culinary flair in a nail-biting cook-off to decide the winner of Sanctuary Care’s Masterchef 2022.

And the winner of this year’s contest was Ruaan Prins, chef manager of Fernihurst Nursing Home in Exmouth, who scooped first place!

This is the third time Ruaan has entered the contest, in 2018 when he came second place and won Best Presented Dish, in 2021 when he won Best Performing Chef in the South West region and then this year, when he secured the biggest victory of all!
He said: “I was so happy to win – it was definitely third time lucky! I feel very proud, especially for our catering team at Fernihurst as it’s great recognition for what we do and how hard we work for our residents.”

The competition, in partnership with Unilever Food Solutions, shines a light on the culinary flair of Sanctuary Care chefs, and the annual Chefs’ Conference, where the winner was announced earlier this month, is a wonderful opportunity to get together and share inspiring ideas. 

Ruaan’s two-course menu was a main of pork loin, with puree potatoes, asparagus tips, tenderstem broccoli and a jus made from Medjool dates, followed by a chocolate fondant, with blackberry sauce and clotted cream.

One of the judges, Sanctuary Care’s Head of Hospitality Services Mark Ord said: “It was an honour to judge this year’s contest – the standard of the cooking was phenomenal, and I am incredibly proud of the talented chefs we have preparing delicious food for our residents each and every day.”

Following close behind Ruaan the runners-up were:

Second place – Bhanuben Patel, Aashna House Residential Care Home in London

Third place – Monica Szabo, Wantage Nursing Home in Oxfordshire

Best Presented Dish – Rowena Graham, Camilla House Care Home in Edinburgh