Professional Cookery

Course Overview

This course runs over three days a week. You would spend one day in the restaurant, one day in the cafe and 1 day in a training kitchen, thus gaining experience in lots of different settings. The course all falls within the main college day 9am-5pm.

This course gives students a realistic experience of working in a busy hospitality environment and with high end clients. For example, in the morning you could be serving breakfast to the Lake District Hotel Association, followed by lunch in the college restaurant and then setting up a buffet and canapes at the Town Hall. The department caters for many prestigious community events throughout the year, such dinners for the Mayor and for the Cumbria Life Food and Drink Awards.

Students are given the opportunity to participate in many enrichment events over the year. Students will visit local hotels to gain an insight into how these businesses operate and will be given the opportunity to travel abroad e.g. last year students visited Berlin and this year they are heading to Amsterdam. As well as trips and visits, students will take part in internal, local and national competitions.

The Hospitality department also recruits a Culinary Team who are employed by the college to support additional corporate events, with the money raised going into an end of year foreign experience. Students in previous years have visited top restaurants and hotels in Chicago, Dubai, Toronto, China, Japan and this year will be flying to Italy.

The department runs parents evenings during the year and an End of Year Prize Giving Ceremony. The department also invites five guest chefs into college to give students specific skill demonstrations.

All of our learners will be given support with their English and Maths skills where relevant to their main programme. Those students who have not yet achieved a 'C' grade at GCSE in these subjects will continue to work towards these important qualifications at a level suited to them.

Your studies will be mainly practically based, and will form an introduction into the hospitality industry with theory lessons as well as research into the industry, which you will have to do at home.

You will gain experience in the following areas:
- Setting up events and laying out tables
- Taking orders
- Bar service
- Serving customers in the restaurant
- Developing culinary skills: working with meat, fish pastry, desserts and breads

Practical and written assessments take place throughout the year. There is also an end of year practical exam which makes up 45% of the students overall mark.