An Abergavenny woman has won her company’s Chef of the Year Award, beating four qualified experts to the coveted title.

Laura McAughey is a kitchen assistant at Foxhunters Care Community in Llanfoist and her culinary flare helped her see off four of her company’s more senior chefs.

Every year there is a cook-off involving the catering teams at the five homes operated by Dormy Care Communities, at which Laura was said to excell.

Chief Executive Helen Davies-Parsons, Executive Chef James and Marketing Manager Rich Mays were unanimous in choosing Laura.

“The theme was ‘chef’s indulgence’ so I wanted to do something that covered the whole dining experience,” the 37-year-old said.

“For example, I put each course description in an envelope which I sealed with wax with the diners initials on and played classical editions of some of my favourite songs.”

“With the food I tried to tell a bit of a story. So, my starter was one of the first dishes I made at Foxhunters, but I elevated it in a way that was surprising for everyone.”

She admits to being “blown away” when her name was read out as Chef of the Year at the end of year awards.

Before Laura joined Foxhunters in 2019, she worked in a bakery for almost ten years and before that as a kitchen assistant in a local pub.

Her role at Foxhunters is varied, covering everything from keeping the kitchen clean and tidy through to prepping vegetables, making cakes, and supporting the three chefs.

On the back of this award and the tremendous progress she has made, Dormy Care have now offered Laura the opportunity to gain professional qualifications.

“Everyone has been really supportive of me and I am considering which direction to now take in my career, with patisserie being one speciality which interests me,” Laura says.