Virtual masterclasses on the menu for catering students

Some of the country’s top chefs and front-of-house professionals cooked up a virtual masterclass for Loughborough College students as part of special sessions during the latest national lockdown.

More than 100 students, studying hospitality and catering at the College, learned top tips on cooking and the profession from the likes of Cherish Finden, Bake Off’s judge and executive pastry chef of Pan Pacific hotels London, and Fred Sirieix, maître d'hôtel of many Michelin starred restaurants and who also features in hit TV series First Dates and Million Pound Menu.

They also gained insight from Sat Bains, owner of the two Michelin Star Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham.

The online classes began in January and ended at the beginning of March, with a wide range of career stories, demonstrations and tips.

Alannah Marsden, a Level 3 student, said: “We had loads of different guest chefs speaking to us and it helped improve my knowledge of the industry and about loads of different jobs available out there which got me excited to stay in the industry. They have entertained me while in lockdown and made it fun to try make the dishes that they had produced and giving me ideas for my own dishes.”

Fellow student Luis Balan said: “The demonstrations during lockdown were a good way to inspire and open the eyes of the Hospitality students. I am very proud of studying and working in this sector as I believe it offers some of the most fulfilling and self-developing experiences you will get out of the working industry. 

“It has been a pleasure to listen and watch all these amazing demos. They were a successful way to show us what fruits of hard work look like and that as long as you’re willing to put time and effort into what you love, anyone can become as successful and passionate as the elite chefs we have had as our guests.”

Darren Creed, Curriculum Manager for Hospitality and Catering at Loughborough College, said: “When the third lockdown was announced in January, I wanted my hospitality and catering students to have a rich learning experience at home so I emailed my contact list and I was delighted that 28 celebrity chefs, Michelin Star chefs and front-of-house professionals agreed to run sessions for our students.

“It was fantastic and our learners got so much motivation, inspiration and technical insight from it.”

As well as Cherish, Fred and Sat, Darren was also able to secure sessions from Sally Abe, a Michelin Star chef from London.

“We asked our guests to do a mix of demonstrations as well as describe their personal career journey so learners could get a real sense of what it takes to make it in our profession,” Darren added.

“Our learners engaged so well with the sessions to the point where some of them over-ran by an hour due to the number of questions being asked, especially the session on the Burnt Chef Project which is a mental health charity set up by an ex-chef. That really got our learners talking.”