Students from two Cumbrian schools are getting a unique insight into the hospitality business as they stage a series of ‘kitchen takeovers’ at a top Lake District hotel this month.
Three groups of Year 10 GCSE catering students from Dowdales School and Ulverston Victoria High are each taking part in a one day session behind the scenes at Lakeside Hotel & Spa, to give them a first-hand experience of working in a four star hotel.
The project is part of Head Chef Richard Booth’s passion for inspiring the next generation of youngsters hoping to make their mark in catering and hospitality. He has taken the step of inviting the two groups of 14 year olds to the southern shore of Windermere to whip up some culinary creations – all under the expert eye of his 2AA rosette-rated team. They will also get to grips with the etiquette of laying a table in preparation for silver service.
Earlier this month Richard was also one of the judges for Cumbria’s Young Chef of the Year competition. He says, “The foundation to any career in catering and hospitality is caring about what you are serving. So experimenting with food, getting excited about ingredients and playing with new ideas is vital.”
Richard adds, “There just aren’t enough young people coming into the industry, so I see these kitchen takeovers as important for encouraging new talent and giving students a better understanding of what a job in catering is really all about. We need to keep the flow of new innovators not just for the immediate future, but for the next five years and beyond.”
Each session includes an introduction to the workings of the hotel’s busy kitchen and a demonstration of the food students will be preparing. It’s then down to the young people themselves to prepare a dessert and a main course of lamb – using meat from the hotel’s own Herdwick flock, which are reared on-site.
At the same time, half the students set up the tables in the restaurant, before swapping into food preparation roles. Lunch is then served to the students’ tutors and teachers.
The first kitchen takeover took place on Monday 8 February, with the next sessions on Monday 22 (Ulverston Victoria High) and Tuesday 23 February (Dowdales School).
For more information about food and dining options at Lakeside Hotel & Spa click here