Cookery students put skills to good use for Irish-themed evening

Professional Cookery students got a chance to hone their fish preparation skills while preparing a themed menu for St Patrick’s Day.

The Harrogate College students, who recently completed a unit focused on preparing and cooking fish, had to produce a four course meal for paying visitors at the March event.

The dishes they created were inspired by the theme of the Irish Coast. They included salmon pate (served with pickled cucumber and Guinness and treacle soda bread) and cod in white wine and chive sauce, with a traditional lamb stew also prepared as an alternative.

As always on dining nights, the college’s canteen area was transformed into a busy restaurant which, on this occasion, served about 40 guests.

A great success

Harrogate College’s Cultural, Contemporary and Heritage Studies Programme Manager, Jason Parry, said: “The evening put the students’ skills to the test and was a great success.

“The progress they have made was clear for all to see.”

The cookery students also recently enjoyed a trip to Leeds city centre where they were given a hotel tour, visited the Corn Exchange, sampled some dishes at Leeds Trinity, and took a ride on a water taxi.

After sampling the food at Trinity Kitchen the group took part in a challenge that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the BBC’s The Apprentice.

Based at Kirkgate Market, the students were divided into teams that had to gather specific information about seafood and meat, and find the most unusual fruit and vegetables.

The Leeds visit was arranged as a fun-focused reward for the students following months of hard work. 

Professional Cookery student Ellena Harrison-Wood said: “The Leeds trip was an amazing experience for us and the other hospitality students that came along.

“At the market we were shown the importance of shopping locally, and how important community cohesion is when it comes to the hospitality sector and good food in general.

“As for the Saint Patrick’s night meal, the customers had a great time and said we had improved massively since our first Italian night, last year.”

The college, which runs a range of hospitality and professional cookery courses, has been working closely with local businesses to help the sector recover from the impact of the pandemic.