Our GCSE Hospitality students worked together this month to organize dining events for our staff. A requirement of their practical GCSE coursework, Mrs. Wendy Pearson, Head of Home Economics and Hospitality explained that pupils need to complete two individual practical tasks, a starter and a chicken dish, and  then work as a team  to organize a themed  function for a group of guests.  

The pupils collaborated to plan the whole event which included selecting a dining theme, designing a menu and assigning kitchen roles. The pupils were allowed three hours to complete the event and took on the responsibility of Restaurant Manager, Head Chef, Sous Chef, Chef de Partie, Bar Tender and Kitchen Porter. As you can see, a vareity of skills were required to complete this exercise combining not just their culinary skills but creativity, organization, budget considerations and time management too. 

Three events in total were organized. One group’s theme was Mexican dining while the other two events focused on an Italian menu:

Italian

• Bruschetta
• Lasagne, green salad and garlic bread 
• Lemon syllabub with shortbread biscuits

Mexican

• Tortilla chips with salsa, chunky guacamole and black bean and avocado medley
• Enchiladas with green salad and tomato salsa
• Mexican chocolate cake with chocolate ganache

Afterwards, we spoke with some of the pupils to learn more from their perspective. They reflected that the main challenges were being up against the clock making sure each element of the meal was ready at the right time. The boys enjoyed pulling together as a team and supporting one another as pressure mounted in the kitchen. Mostly though, they really enjoyed serving their guests and seeing how much the meal was appreciated by everyone.

Mr.Oswald, Vice-Principal of Curriculum, was very impressed with the pupils' work:

'The standard of food was of a very high quality. I was not only impressed with the meal they prepared but also how well our pupils worked together to make everything run smoothly in the kitchen and at the table for their guests'.

Mrs Pearce added, 'This is a very practical course with 50% of the marks awarded based on controlled assessment. Planning and staging this small event is a very rewarding part of the course and students gain real insight into the work involved in producing and serving a meal in a hospitality setting. They quickly realise that no one member of the team is more important than the other and that all roles are essential to providing good quality customer service. Their pride in themselves at the end of the event when they receive feedback from their guests is evident. Hospitality continues to thrive in CCB​​​​​​, our pupils always rise to the occasion and make their teachers very proud!'

Since the work is part of the overall GCSE graded assigment we are unable to share out students planning and organization notes for the event. However, our Media Gallery below displays photos from the three events showing our students at work and the food they prepared.