First Campus at UWIC have arranged a hospitality after school club for pupils from Willows High School.  The pupils served up a gourmet three-course meal for the culmination of the project, leaving one of Wales’ top chefs impressed with their skills.

The pupils learned how to run a professional restaurant under the guidance of Alan and Teresa Beckett at UWIC.  Each week they were taught cooking and front-of-house skills, all building towards the final meal for friends and family.

Alan commented: “Working alongside these youngsters who are so keen and enthusiastic was a real eye opener. The ideas they were coming up with were quite phenomenal and they dealt with the real life situation of the kitchen exceptionally well. I‘ve been working with schools for a long time and this project really stands out, as we saw pupils reach such a high standard in the space of a few short weeks. It was a first class event that went without a hitch.”
 
For the finale, the group were split in two. The Kitchen Team, responsible for preparing, cooking and presenting the meal and the Front of House Team, responsible for setting up the restaurant and serving guests.

Stephen Terry of the Hardwick and Great British Menu fame came along for the special evening to help with the service and present certificates to the participants.

He said: “Being here today and working with the children is fantastic. It is also fantastic for them to be in a professional environment, it is invaluable experience - I don’t think it gets any better. They are asking lots of questions and have such a thirst for knowledge which is great. This is big equipment; not like at home, this is proper cooking.   I am very pleased to be here and be a part of it.”

This First Campus project aimed to give pupils an idea of how big the food and hospitality sector is. As part of the programme pupils were given a tour of UWIC’s Food Industry Centre with its sensory analysis suite, as well as being given a talk on entrepreneurship by Michelin Star Chef and Restaurateur Stephen Terry.

Chris Webb, First Campus Officer at UWIC said: “First Campus aims to raise awareness and aspirations of higher education.  Creating projects such as the hospitality after school club enables us to demonstrate the links between industry and education for the pupils.”

The photograph shows Delaram and Molly getting to work on the first course.