Taste the Difference

The Hospitality and Catering Department at Langley College in Berkshire welcomed 180 students from 10 local feeder schools to a special industry taster day on Tuesday 7th February.

Four top chefs were on hand to deliver masterclasses and give an insight into professional catering and hospitality.

After a canapé and mocktail reception the students enjoyed a pasta making and cookery demonstration led by Chris Hannon, Executive Chef at nearby Cliveden House.

This led on to a bakery class on kneading the perfect loaf by Piotr Lesnianski from The Gatsby Restaurant.

Piotr said “I really enjoy events like this, it is so great to see the students listening intently to the demonstrations and I was very impressed with how quickly the students got to grips with helping me to make corn tortillas on the demo stage.  They really are very lucky to have a fantastic college like Langley on the doorstep and some great chefs coming in to offer curriculum enrichment.”

Fresh from escorting The Chefs’ Forum round Japan, sushi master Keiko Urakawa took the students through the preparation of sushi before chef Louise Wagstaffe created desserts.

If that wasn’t enough the students then decorated eclairs which are featured in The Chefs’ Knowledge, our latest book.

The food and drink was kindly sponsored by First Choice Produce, Premier Foods  and Holdsworth

Anne Entwistle, Principal of Langley College said: “It was lovely to welcome so many aspiring chefs to our campus. The taster day is a great way to introduce students to the practicalities of catering.  They really enjoyed meeting the professional chefs and sampling all the food.

Following the successful launch of our hospitality and catering course this year we will soon be introducing two new apprenticeships for anybody hoping to be a commis or a production chef. These courses have been created with the support of employers to fill the skills gaps and staffing needs of our local community.’’

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “At The Chefs’ Forum we love teaching catering and hospitality through our Academies. Taster days are a part of that and it was thrilling to see so many young and eager faces enjoy the programme and get to see what goes on in professional kitchens.”

Photography and film by www.johnscottblackwell.co.uk