Department Focus: Food Studies and Hospitality
This month’s department focus is shining a spotlight on the Food Studies and Hospitality department. Did you know that Tourism and Hospitality are Scotland’s largest industries, and are identified by the Scottish Government as a growth sector? With highly commended programmes delivered in partnership with the crème de la crème of industry professionals, our Food Studies and Hospitality department offers invaluable skills to prepare you for your career. Former students, including Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles and Tom Kitchin in Leith, went on to gain Michelin stars for their restaurants.
The department shares a snapshot of the events that have been taking place over the last few months.
Our students had a fantastic trip to Gleneagles
Our HNC Professional Cookery, HND Professional Cookery and HND Hospitality Management students enjoyed an educational visit to Gleneagles. They enjoyed a tour of the hotel and learned about the history; staff; and recent refurbishing and branding of many areas of the hotel now under ownership of Enismore.
The hotel arranged a demonstration of a three-course “cook and serve at the table” menu and this included the carving of smoked salmon, the flambé of fillet steak, and crepes. It was perfectly pitched at our student’s stage of learning.
As hotel guests, the students then had free time to use the leisure facilities - which they very much enjoyed! At 6pm, they were invited to the American Bar for a cocktail which had been created for the Christmas guests – Gin, Limoncello, egg froth and puff candy. A fine dining three-course dinner then followed in The Strathearn Restaurant at a cost of £85. The dishes were spectacular - both presentation, and taste, did not disappoint.
The students then retired to The Century Bar, where they all got to choose a cocktail of their choice.
On the Wednesday morning, the most lavish breakfast was enjoyed - followed by more swimming, before returning to college to resume their studies.
We asked how they managed to fund such a fantastic trip. They explained:
“Lots and lots of fundraising - tips, raffles, cinema night, high teas and an auction!
“Each week, the students who prepare and serve food - to on average 40 customers - are often left tips at the end of the night. So, both front and back of house agreed to save all of their tips for the educational visit.
“During each service, the students held a raffle for the visit. The prizes were all donated from students and staff and included: bottles of wine, chocolates, hampers, and generous donations from businesses the students work for.
“We held a cinema night showing the sing-a-long version of The Greatest Showman. Stovies and soup were available, and a donation of £5 was given.
“The high teas were the main source of income, and generated around £600 for each one that we had. They proved very popular and each of the three events had a reserve list! Lecturer, Rhona McLuskey, sourced menu items from local suppliers which meant all of the money coming in was profit. The staff also donated commodities to help keep costs at a minimum. The heads and tails game, along with quizzes, all made for a fun evening.
“And finally, one of our students was kindly gifted a malt whisky for a raffle prize by her father. We were able to auction it and raised another £85 for the pot!”
After a very successful trip, the students and lecturers have agreed to continue fundraising throughout 2020 and are looking forward to another visit before the end of term as a reward for all of their hard work.
Success was celebrated at the Star Awards
The Hospitality team and Sodexo collected the Developing the Young Workforce Perth and Kinross Partnership Award at the 2019 Perthshire Chamber of Commerce Business Star Awards.
They were praised for their hard work and dedication in creating and managing the unique industry and education partnership, and for fostering a sense of inclusiveness for students studying at different levels across the curriculum. The project was a first for education in Scotland.
Ian Gibb, Sector Manager for Food Studies and Hospitality, explained that the partnership project was partly driven by feedback from the industry: “The college curriculum in partnership with Sodexo is seeing students absorb the challenges. They are working under normal industry level pressures and are reaping the rewards of working in a real hospitality industry environment – but still within a supported educational environment.
“Only 18 students took part in the early project. This year there are more than 70 students enrolled on to our training programmes.”
The project has received wide recognition, and a number of awards, in the wake of the successful partnership and this has turned both the education and industry spotlights on Perth College UHI - with interest from others in the catering and hospitality sector.
“We have many visitors looking at what has been achieved here,” said Ian, “and we are happy to support other organisations who recognise the benefits of partnership working.”
Ian is justifiably proud of what the partnership has achieved in a few short years.
“In my 30 years plus at Perth College UHI this has been the most impressive advance in training within the hospitality department and the one which is having the most impact on the students and the industry. I am delighted to win the Developing the Young Workforce Perth and Kinross Partnership Award at the 2019 Perthshire Chamber of Commerce Business Star Awards.”
It was competition time at the Sodexo Culinaire!
Our students took part in a unique competition run by Sodexo - one of the world's largest multinational corporations.
The only competition of its kind in Scotland, the students were asked to demonstrate skills and creativity in a number of tasks, including: scone-making, knife skills, canapes and cupcakes.
The students were awarded certificates and medals and by industry judges including David Ward, Executive Chef with Sodexo Scotland.
Ian Gibb, Food Studies and Hospitality Sector Manager, said: “This competition allowed our students to demonstrate the hard work and perseverance they are putting into learning the skills needed for their future career.
“Perth College UHI has a unique, sector-leading partnership with Sodexo, as our students work alongside Sodexo staff in the College’s Food Court, allowing them to get hands-on skills and real experience of what it’s like to work in a busy kitchen and restaurant environment. This means our students are ready to be a valuable addition to the workforce of any employers in the industry.”
There was a delicious chocolate masterclass with Taystful
Photo credit: Shona at Taystful
Shona from Taystful – an award-winning chocolatier – was back at the college to teach a chocolate master class to our students. This is what she had to say about the day:
“Another epic college visit this month! Thank Perth College UHI for inviting me again, was a fantastic and busy day! Glad the students got so much hands on work, especially with the airbrushing and mould casting. As always, delighted to receive such a lovely welcome, and signed card too. Great to see some familiar faces coming back for more, and to meet the new students! Enjoy your chocs and new skills!”
Chefs from around Scotland came together for a Skills Workshop
It was fantastic to have 11 Sodexo chefs in the college after the New Year for a Flexible Workforce Development Funded Skills Workshop.
The Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) is available to organisations across the private, public and third sectors who are subject to the UK Government’s Apprenticeship Levy. The fund, which was launched in September 2017, focuses on the up-skilling and re-skilling of existing employees of any age, with individual organisations able to apply for up to £15,000.
The talented chefs travelled from various parts of Scotland to refresh their skills in the Food Studies and Hospitality department.
Tips and knowledge were exchanged at the Employers Forum
Our HNC Hospitality and Professional Chef Gold Award students were able to brush up on their interview skills, and gain tips for their CVs, thanks to the kind employers that came along to share their knowledge and experience: Ballintaggart, Crieff Hydro, Sodexo, Balhousie Care Group, The Parklands Hotel, Gleneagles and Scone Palace.
The tourism and hospitality sector in Scotland supports the jobs of 217,00 people (8% of total employment) and contributes £6 billion to the economy year. Join this important sector by starting a course in 2020. Interested in finding out more? Come along to our Open Day on 14 March to chat to our Food Studies and Hospitality lecturers.
