Abergavenny Kitchen Assistant Wins Chef Of The Year Award
A Kitchen Assistant working at an Abergavenny care home has won her company’s chef of the year award.
Having no formal cookery qualifications was no barrier for 37-year-old Laura McAughey who saw off competition from four qualified chefs to win the Dormy Care Communities’ 2025 Chef of the Year award.
This followed a ‘cook-off’ involving the catering teams at Dormy’s five homes, at which Laura, who works at the company Foxhunters Care Community in Abergavenny, excelled.
After tasting sessions at the five homes, Dormy Chief Executive Helen Davies-Parsons, Executive Chef James and Marketing Manager Rich Mays were unanimous in choosing Laura.
Laura, who lives in Abergavenny and is entirely self-taught, wowed everyone with her approach, creating a completely sensory experience.
She admits to being “blown away” when her name was read out as Chef of the Year at the end of year awards.
Laura said: “The theme was ‘chef’s indulgence’ so I wanted to do something that covered the whole dining experience so, 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.
“And then 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.
“I love experimenting with food and I love teaching myself new skills and if something doesn’t go right, I see it more like a problem that needs to be solved rather than becoming disheartened.”
James Thomas said:
“Laura had turned the Foxhunters kitchen into a laboratory, but the theatre would be nothing without great tasting food which was exquisite!
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.
