The King’s School to take over The Salty Monk this November

Tuesday November the 11^th 2014 sees The King’s School Catering department take over The Salty Monk for their third Annual Charity dinner. 22 students in year 11, led by Mrs Capon and her team will be working with Andy and Annette Witheridge (proprietors of The Salty Monk) to produce a seven course meal for 40 – 50 covers. Local suppliers Christopher Piper Wines, Forest Produce, Kaz Fisheries and Owens Coffee have donated food & drink for the evening, kindly supporting the students as in previous years.

The aim of the evening is to enable students to experience the real world of Catering and hospitality. The students will be making all of the food from scratch, setting the tables and carrying out all the front of house responsibilities. As in previous years the students will be raising money for local charities and the Catering Department at school. The chosen charities are The Ottery Help Scheme ( a local charity supporting people in our community with bereavement. Memory loss, terminal illness and hospital visits) and The Stroke research team based at RD&E Wonford. These charities have come from the staff and students discussions. Over the past two years the event has raised a total of £7000 which has been distributed between our charities and helping the School catering department, with 2 cookers, small equipment, bake ware and service China purchased. The students always vote on whom to support and so this changes every year. Other recipients have been The Baton, The Devon Freewheelers, The Stroke research team and our partnership school in Ethiopia.

The experience is so powerful that it has reaffirmed for some of the youngsters that this is the industry for them. Out of seventeen students last year we had two who went on to start apprenticeships at Gidleigh Park Hotel, and one at The Jack in the Green. /the student who joined The Jack in the green goes to work alongside two other former King’s school students. The King’s School is very proud of its catering team and students regularly enter national and regional competitions. Last year we won The South West Taste of the West junior chef of the year, and have another finalist this year, and we won the Exeter Food festival Schools cook off at Easter.

We are very grateful to all of our sponsors without whom this event would be impossible. It is a remarkably challenging yet rewarding event which embodies everything education should. It brings local business and education together in an event which enables students to gain a real life experience of the industry. For some this will be the defining point – yes or no. Either way it will have taught so much about themselves, their peers and the way of the world that no one could deny its value.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Annette & Andy Witheridge on 01395 513 174 or email: saltymonk@btconnect.com