Workshop sparks passion in hospitality students

Mark and Phil put together a wonderful menu for our students to create, allowing them to not only develop skills essential for independent living but also to inspire them and make them believe in their talent.

Mark and Phil said, “It was lovely to work with you and the students, who quite frankly blew us away with how well they formed a brigade and showed passion, skill, and enthusiasm whilst working.”

The students learned a range of valuable skills, including:

• Breaking down a chicken
• Making flatbreads
• Dessert work
• Working with plant-based dairy and protein alternatives
• Minimising waste and utilising local, seasonal produce
• Dressing, plating, and garnishing techniques
• Working independently and as part of a kitchen brigade
• Time management
• Knife skills
• Communication skills

Mark Hartstone said, “It was super to see the enthusiasm and confidence of the young chefs and to hear the progress they have made. The salads were fantastic and the chicken and cauliflower had great depth of flavour.”

Mark owns a restaurant in Cranborne and has the ‘Best Dorset Chef of the Year 2015’ accolade. We have received feedback from parents saying how enthused their children were when they got home, describing them as “buzzing” from such an amazing day. Trudy Baker also commented, “What an amazing day, and thank you for letting me share in the occasion, meeting the students, and watching them at work. I was totally blown away by the students' confidence, especially their ability to hold their own with the chefs.”

We also had the pleasure of Mike Taylor, Learning Specialist at Sodexo, delivering a careers talk to our learners, which they all thoroughly enjoyed and found inspiring for their future. Mike has been instrumental in providing work experience opportunities for our learners and supporting Aurora in developing the Future Chefs competition. One of our learners, the Future Chefs winner from last year, will start an apprenticeship with Sodexo when they leave Aurora Boveridge College next year.

Odette Osborne, Assistant Head of Education said, "I want to thank everyone involved in supporting the day, especially the learners, as it really was exceptional and showcased the amazing talent our learners have. We have many more days like this planned for the Autumn term, so watch this space!"

A special mention goes to Dan Spraggs, our Hospitality and Tourism teacher, who has nurtured and supported these learners since they first started.