Professional Cookery

Course Overview

This course runs over four days a week, usually Monday-Thursday. The course is delivered during the normal college day (9am-5pm) three days a week, and one evening will be working in the college restaurant for the evening service (you will need to arrange transport home anywhere between 9pm-11pm).

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 parent 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 course. Those students who have not yet achieved a Grade 4 (or C) at GCSE in these subjects will continue to work towards these important qualifications at a level suited to them. However, students will still have to achieve the stated Entry Requirements before they start the course.

This course gives you some freedom to develop your ideas and give you the opportunities to create your own dishes. You are also given responsibility to lead a team of level 1 and level 2 students, delegating tasks to them and supervising their progress.

If you take the Multiskills route, you will work one day in pastry, two days in the main kitchen and one day developing your skills in the training kitchens. The multiskill qualification is a combination of larder and pastry units.

Functional skills or GCSEs in Maths and English may also be included into your study programme, if you have yet to achieve a grade C in these subjects.

Assessment is continuous throughout the year and includes development of a portfolio.