This year’s Cook-Off was another successful evening of gastronomic delights and charitable giving! Generously hosted again by The Cookery School at The Grand, the 2026 event saw two corporate teams, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) and Mesenbio, go head-to-head in a heated culinary competition, in support of York Women’s Counselling Service (YWCS).

As well as each team’s guest diners, it was a pleasure to welcome to the evening Ms Jan Garrill, Deputy Lieutenant for North Yorkshire, and York’s Civic Party: the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Martin Rowley BEM; and the Sheriff of York, Mr Paul Doughty, and his consort, Mr David Smith. We also owe a huge thanks to our VIP guests for their support: Elly Fiorentini from BBC Radio York, and Julie Blackburn and Wayne Chadwick from YO1 Radio.

Thanks to the generosity of everyone involved, we raised an incredible £4,751.38, which will go directly towards providing essential counselling services for women in York.

Perfection, Passion and Panna Cotta

With the expert guidance of Chef Tutor Luke Palmer, our teams had one goal: to create the best three-course meal possible for their guest diners. From creative menus to table décor, every element of the evening showcased each team’s teamwork, personality and local roots.

Beyond the kitchen, the teams competed for a variety of awards, expertly judged by award-winning food writer, Elaine Lemm, alongside Luke Palmer and YWCS volunteers:

🏆 Best Table Decoration: Mesenbio were the winners with their “mad scientist” theme featuring beakers, colourful “chemicals” and dry ice!
🏆 Best Teamwork: LNER worked together like clockwork, demonstrating great collegiate spirit in showing Mesenbio the ropes.
🏆 Standout Dish: Mesenbio won with their incredible tonka bean panna cotta dessert, which was beautifully presented and tasted mind-blowing.
🏆 Most Funds Raised: Mesenbio rallied fantastic support from their guests, raising the most donations on the night.

Elaine also kindly donated several generous raffle prizes, which raised an amazing £410.

Why Your Support Matters

The funds raised will have a real and lasting impact on women in our community. To put it into perspective, this total will help YWCS:

Fund over 90 counselling sessions for women experiencing emotional distress and trauma.
Support 22 volunteer counsellors for a year, ensuring more women have access to the help they need.
Deliver specialist trauma support, including EMDR therapy.
Maintain safe, welcoming counselling spaces in the city.

A Huge Thank You!

Events like this don’t happen without the generosity of many – and of course, the hard work and creativity of the participants from LNER and Mesenbio. LNER’s sponsorship meant that every penny raised will directly support women in need.

We are beyond grateful to everyone who took part, attended, donated, and supported Cook-Off 2026. Your contributions are changing lives, providing critical mental health support to women when they need it most.

We also want to give a very special shout-out to The Cookery School at The Grand, especially Chef Luke Palmer and Yvette Thirlwell for all their help and support.

Help Us Do More

YWCS relies on community fundraising to achieve our mission. If you’d like to support our vital work, you can donate here.

Fancy Demonstrating Your Culinary Prowess?

If you’re a local business or organisation interested in taking part in next year’s Cook-Off, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch at enquiries@yorkwomenscounselling.org.