Former pupil offers a chefs masterclass at old school in Hungerford
James Callery, now head chef at the Halfway Inn, brought his knowledge and skill for a day with GCSE food students.
The current controlled assessment has the theme of Luxury Products and pupils have had to come up with fabulous ideas such as high tea with the Queen, an Alice in Wonderland tea party and bakery products suitable for the Royal Christening or a Parisian Boulangerie.
Food Technology teacher Laura Edwards said: “A requirement for the students is to produce innovative and creative products by adapting existing recipes.
“We are so lucky that we have such amazing chefs amongst our students, but I wanted to give them a new insight into food technology, get their creative juices flowing and instill a new excitement in their bones. And that’s where James came in.”
She added: “James spent an hour with each of the three groups to help create an assortment of different canapés. Chicken lollipops, chocolate fondant, salmon and prawn cornels and mini Yorkshire puddings with roast beef were just some of the delights that the students cooked up.”
Year 10 pupil Alex Lovell said: “I thought that it was cool learning how to make a new food and tasting afterwards, also getting to taste food that others made.
“It was great because it was a hands-on lesson.
“I also think we benefited from this because it taught us practical skills and recipes which I won‘t forget for a long time.“
Year 9 pupil Lizzie Mulholland said: “I thought that the experience was good as it meant that you had to think on your feet and it gave you an idea of what it was like to be a chef.
“It also meant you could try to make something complex. I would want to do something like that again.”
Year 10 pupil James Monger agreed: “The chef was fantastic. I thought that he taught us with clear simple, instructions and ingredients, but helped us to create products that were excellent.”
