Hospitality and catering students at Hereward College have been reaping the benefits of two hands-on cookery masterclasses with Warwick Conferences’ expert chefs.

Hereward College – based in Tile Hill – provides study programmes, learning experiences, and award-winning work placement opportunities for young people aged 16-25 with complex disabilities and learning difficulties.

The masterclasses, held in the College’s kitchens, were focused on developing students’ understanding of pastry arts and knife skills. The sessions were organised as part of a long-standing partnership between Hereward College and Warwick Conferences, which allows Warwick Conferences’ renowned catering team to share their expertise and support the development of the students’ skills.

Chef de Partie Val Elvin and Sous Chef Dave Wilson attended Hereward College for the sessions alongside their Warwick Conferences colleagues Mark Ralph (Head of Food) and Clive Singelton (Head of Conferences and Event Catering).

Val led the first session focused on choux buns, where she demonstrated the art of pastry making to the students – even divulging her own perfect recipe for them to use. The students then had the opportunity to put their learning into practice as they tried their hand at making pastry, baking the buns and filling them with cream and decorative chocolate once cooled. The choux buns were then sampled and given an enthusiastic seal of approval from all involved.

The following week, Dave led the Hereward students in a knife skills demonstration. He began by showcasing to the students how to handle knives safely, before moving on to demonstrate proper technique for hand placement when cutting and chopping food. The students put these foundational skills to good use as Dave guided them through classic chopping techniques, including chiffonade, baton, julienne, brunoise and tourney. The students later took home the vegetables they had chopped, perfect to be added to a stir fry.

Commenting on the masterclass sessions and the strong partnership with Hereward College, Clive Singelton, Head of Conferences and Event Catering at Warwick Conferences, said:

“At Warwick Conferences, we are determined to help young people in our local community access meaningful employment opportunities and rewarding careers.

“Our partnership with Hereward College is a key part of our efforts as a dedicated employer partner that has allowed the students there to gain experience working with our expert chefs and learn how to create items to industry standard, enhancing their knowledge in preparation of potential route for work in the hospitality and catering industry. Since embarking on this partnership, we have seen the skills students demonstrate go from strength to strength and are looking forward to continuing to seeing it continue to grow.”