Erin Ward, Catering Manager and School Chef of the Year 2025, shares how entering a competition she almost talked herself out of changed everything.
When Erin Ward first spotted the School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) competition at a conference, she did what many of us do when faced with something exciting and terrifying in equal measure: she walked straight past it. Months later, following the loss of her father, Erin’s outlook changed. She decided it was time to stop letting fear make her choices for her.
What followed was a journey that began with an entry she submitted without expectation, moved through the nerves of competing on the day of the event, and ended with the shock of hearing her name called as SCOTY 2025 winner. In that moment, she reached for the wine before bursting into tears, overwhelmed by what had changed.
To delve deeper into Erin’s journey, we sat down with her to talk about the win, her Leadership and Management apprenticeship, being a woman in catering, and what it really means to back yourself.
The SCOTY Win
You’ve described yourself as someone who almost didn’t enter. What finally made you do it?
“After losing my dad, I decided it was time to stop shying away from things because of anxiety and fear of failure. I thought, just give it a go. I sent my paper entry, and honestly, I never expected to hear anything back.”
She didn’t win her regional heat. But she did get through the final as a wildcard, and that changed everything.
- "I turned to my other half and said, 'I'll be lucky to get third, so if I'm not it, I didn't place.' I had written myself off completely."
When third place was announced, and it wasn’t her, Erin reached for the wine. Seconds later, she heard her name.
“I shan’t repeat what I said at the time, but I then burst into tears, more from shock than anything. All I could think was, ‘I want to call my Mum and tell her. I did it. I smashed it for Dad.”
Her dishes, Pork Bao Buns and Sweetchoes, were developed with student feedback front and centre.
The emphasis was on sustainability, fun, and what she calls ‘giving people the Yums’.
The Apprenticeship Effect
Erin is completing a Leadership and Management apprenticeship through Learnmore. She describes the programme as both a confidence and skills builder:
- Learning new skills, language, and techniques I've already started using in my daily management has helped. The self-reflection element was especially useful: “It helped me identify areas to work on and acknowledge strengths I'd previously underestimated.”
Women in the Culinary Industry
Erin has worked across both commercial and contract catering, and her experience of gender dynamics in the industry has shifted depending on the environment.
In commercial kitchens, she witnessed real disparity early on, including a female colleague passed over for promotion because a head chef felt it was “easier to get along with a bloke”.
School catering, by contrast, is heavily female at ground level, often staffed by parents and carers who need a career that fits around family life. But leadership, she notes, still skews male.
- "Some women may talk themselves out of trying for that senior role out of fear of failing, just like I almost did with SCOTY."
Her advice to women considering a career in the industry is characteristically direct: there is definitely a place.
- "If it is your passion and you're willing to do the work, go for it. We shouldn't strive to be like others; we should aim to better ourselves and just do our best. That's all anyone can ask of you."
Leading Others, Learning Together
One of the more unexpected dimensions of Erin’s apprenticeship journey is how it’s shaped her relationship with her own team, including Dave, one of her direct reports who is also on a Chef Apprenticeship programme.
“His apprenticeship goes hand in hand with mine. I can coach him through his, and he can learn from my experience.”
She is adding ‘Davies Delicious Dishes’ to the menu so he can practise his new skills on site.
It’s the kind of circular, supportive learning culture that Learnmore’s programmes are designed to create, and Erin is living proof of what’s possible when a manager is invested in the growth of those around them.
- "I think fully understanding my own values and beliefs helps me be grounded, and to decide on the correct approach for situations."
Those values have been tested in real situations. When Erin faced staff challenges in her kitchen, she turned to the tools from her apprenticeship: reflections, SMART goals, and values work to help her team understand each other better and work more efficiently.
- "It has helped me differentiate between when my staff need me to mentor and show them how to do something, or coach and help them achieve what they need themselves."
One tangible result: stepping back from doing things for her team, and instead helping them think through tasks themselves.
The result, she says, is a more efficient, happier kitchen.
What's Next
Erin has her sights set on a role in the food team, supporting sites, developing menus, and working with new managers.
She sees her apprenticeship as foundational to that ambition: from the language and frameworks it’s given her, to the goal-setting tools that keep teams on track.
As for competitions, despite swearing she was done with the stress, she’s already contemplating entering another one.
Utter madness, she admits, with a grin that suggests she knows exactly what she’s doing.
Ask questions. Listen to constructive criticism; it’s there to help you, not belittle you. Trust your gut. Work smarter, not harder. And love what you do. If you love what you do, you’ll never regret turning up to work.