Yes Chef!

On March 4th, Year 10 Hospitality and Catering students visited The Met Hotel in Leeds city centre. This was an amazing opportunity for our students and proved to be an enriching and unforgettable experience for them. Guided by the Executive Chef and Chef de Partie, they stepped into the bustling world of professional kitchens, assuming the roles of apprentice chefs for a morning. Collaborating to prepare a sumptuous lunch, they honed their culinary skills under the guidance of seasoned professionals.

The highlight of the day came as they transitioned from the kitchen to the dining area, serving the meticulously seasoned and spiced meal to each other. This hands-on approach provided invaluable insights into both the artistry and teamwork essential to the hospitality industry.

Following the culinary adventure, students embarked on a tour of the hotel, delving into its rich history dating back to the 19th century. They gained a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of a city centre hotel, including its clientele and corporate operations.

The trip proved to be not only educational but also inspirational, offering students a glimpse into potential career paths within their city. Overall, the visit to The Met Hotel was a resounding success, leaving a lasting impression on all participants and igniting their passion for the world of hospitality.

Leeds Market Visit

On 28th February, Year 11 Hospitality & Catering students visited Leeds Market food hall, which was filled with street food delights!

Students had the opportunity to meet with James, the owner of Fat Annie’s, and hear all about his vegan hotdog and burger business. Along with his tips for a future career in hospitality, he gave our students a very interesting talk about how he came to work in the food industry and what it entails.

Leeds City College were available too to talk to students about their new venture in the market; a vegan cafe run by apprentice chefs from the college. Again, a real insight into next steps at post 16.

A great visit to the market was topped off with an array of lunches; from falafel to fish and chips and humus to salt and pepper chicken. They have such a brilliant choice of multi-cultural food, so we even sampled the delights of baklava and Polish pastries!

Year 11 Educational visit to Nando’s

On Wednesday 13 December, 4 students from Year 11 went to Nando’s and had a fantastic time.

Nando’s had an open kitchen which gave our students an opportunity to observe food preparation and hygiene skills.

Our students enjoyed a wonderful meal that they observed being made and were then able to explore a variety of flavours and cooking methods to plan their own Nando’s style meal.

Mussel power is back!

In an engaging Year 9 cooking session, students delved into the world of seafood, specifically working with freshly harvested rope-grown mussels. The aim was to deepen their knowledge of cooking with fish, and to achieve this, they embarked on the preparation of two delightful dishes – Jamie Oliver’s “Angry Mussels” and the timeless Moules Mariniere.

Year 9 students eagerly explored handling and cooking mussels, gaining valuable hands-on experience. The classroom buzzed with excitement as the aromatic scents of simmering broths filled the air.

The culmination of the lesson saw the students enjoying their creations – a delectable spread of “Angry Mussels” and Moules Mariniere, paired with golden fries and crusty baguettes. The session not only supported the students’ learning about cooking with fish but also showcased the satisfaction of transforming fresh, sustainable fish into culinary delights.

Thank you Fish in School Hero programme!

Year 9 Hospitality Students visit Leeds City College

Year 9 Hospitality and Catering students recently visited Leeds City College, where they delved into the world of hospitality and catering through a pizza-making taster session and a tour of the college’s diverse departments.

With aprons tied and rolling pins at the ready, our aspiring young chefs stepped into the bustling culinary space at Leeds City College. In a session led by a college lecturer, they kneaded dough, stretched and shaped their pizza and topped their creations with an array of ingredients. Students practised using a peel to place the pizzas in the deck ovens and then to retrieve them, which is much harder than it looks! The end result? Fabulous slices of pizza that vanished quicker than you could say “buon appetito!”

The students embarked on a whirlwind tour, exploring the huge range of departments within the college. The teachers and students they encountered along the way eagerly shared insights that brought each department to life.

The combination of scrumptious pizza and enthusiastic students resulted in an experience that was not only delicious but also highly informative. Our Year 9 students returned with a broader perspective on the range of educational pathways available to them.

The Curry Guy

We were very lucky to have Dan Toombs, aka The Curry Guy, visit our hospitality and catering lessons in March. Dan is a published food author and has written a huge range of books full of wonderful recipes that we were lucky enough to have a go at making!

Year 9 Hospitality students made a chicken Lababdar from Dan’s book The Curry Bible, a delicious chicken curry with aromatic spices added, along with fresh chilli, cashews and tomato. Dan showed students how to portion a whole chicken and use all the meat in the dish. It tasted amazing and our students were thrilled to be taking part.

Year 10 students did something a little different, making samosa filling and learning how to fold pastry to create perfect triangles that were then shallow fried. Students discovered how fiddly this was, and how fast they cooked … they were eaten just as quickly!

Thanks again to The Curry Guy for a brilliant day!

Fish Heroes!

In February, we received a delivery of frozen salmon from the ‘Fish in School Hero’ programme. The Fish in School Hero Programme aims to ensure the next generation knows how to prepare, cook and get a chance to taste fresh fish and shellfish. Salmon is an amazing fish, not only does it taste great and is really versatile in cooking, but it’s also packed with nutritional goodness, providing protein and omega 3 fatty acids, just what we need for a healthy body.

Hospitality students in Year 10 practised their knife skills, removing the skin and slicing the fish into chunks, before they flavoured the fish with a wonderful spice, Ras El Hanout. The fish was grilled along with vegetables whilst students made their own wraps to serve the salmon on. This is a brilliant recipe, full of nutrients and easy to recreate at home and continue to be ‘Fish Heroes’!

Our Fazenda Masterclass Experience

Following successful work experience placements this year at Fazenda Rodizio Bar and Grill in Granary Wharf, Leeds, our Year 11 Hospitality & Catering students were offered the opportunity to visit the restaurant for a tour of the kitchens and front of house in October.

During the visit, students heard from the bar manager, maître d’, head chef, grill chef and most importantly at Fazenda, we learnt all about the role of the ‘passadores’ which means meat chef. Fazenda offers a theatrical style of service where different meats are served at your table by the passadores and students were able to hear all about the different items on the menu as well as being shown the cooking process.

Visiting Fazenda was a brilliant way to take our learning outside the classroom and into a real life setting and students really enjoyed the visit. Seeing behind the scenes at a busy, city centre restaurant in full service was a real eye opener for many! Most importantly, students were able to hear how staff had begun working in the hospitality industry and what options they had taken post-16 and for a few this has definitely shifted their own choices and opened up their ideas to a potential new career.

Ada Lovelace Day

This year the Creative Arts, Computing and Technologies Faculty spent a week celebrating Ada Lovelace Day (ALD) across Computing, Technology, Art and Hospitality and Catering. Ada Lovelace Day is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). It aims to increase the profile of women in STEM and, in doing so, create new role models who will encourage more girls into STEM careers and support women already working in STEM.

Students got involved in a range of fun activities such as baking binary inspired biscuits, painting Pop Art inspired artwork of Ada Lovelace and completing computing challenges around cyber security. These activities highlighted to students some of the potential careers available to everyone in these industries and gave them a chance to put their skills to the test.