Hospitality & Catering Courses

For your first activity, we would like you to cook something of your choice. Maybe a Sunday lunch or your favourite dessert. Send a picture of your completed dish with your name, a brief overview and an explanation of your dish to kathy.poole-gleed@hsdc.ac.uk

We would like you to design and create a dish using a favourite book as inspiration. We would like to see how you link the book with the food. It can be a starter, main or dessert. How does the main food item link with the book (maybe chocolate for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)? You should think about your presentation – how will it bring the book to life? How about flavours, colours and textures – how can they be interesting and exciting? Draw and label your dish design, create the menu and take photos of your created dish (photos if you’ve managed to create the dish at home; don’t worry if you can’t, just create the design and recipe) and send it to steve.donnelly@hsdc.ac.uk. Research Heston’s Feasts and Heston’s Fantastical Food for inspiration.

Why not design and create a cake that you think will be appropriate to celebrate and thank the actions of our brilliant NHS and care workers. Think about suitable flavours, colours and textures that could be used and then have fun with the decoration element. Use this link to give you some inspiration.

You could draw your creation with explanations on how it will be created and a recipe or, if you’re really up for it, have a go and cook it, then take a photo of your finished masterpiece. Please send your submission to gary.poole-gleed@hsdc.ac.uk.

Good luck!

Research the internet for two famous TV personality chefs (including Angela Hartnett). Research their style of cookery, their various restaurants and any signature dishes they have developed. Pick one of their signature dishes or styles and attempt to recreate their recipe, including presentation. Send your finished masterpieces to laura.skye@hsdc.ac.uk

Read all or part of your favourite celebrity chef’s book for inspiration. It could be to yourself or perhaps to a family member as a bedtime story.

Please also upload photos of your work to Facebook or Instagram and tag HSDC, so we can share and comment on your work, this will allow you to see what your future classmates have been up to!

Browse archives of recipes – look at www.greatbritishchefs.com, where you can get a vast quantity of recipes from chefs in the hospitality industry.

Watch the documentary by Michel Roux on Auguste Escoffier and learn how modern British cookery was and still is influenced by this great chef.

Watch episodes of the latest series of the Great British Menu to see how professional chefs link books to dishes. Watch the episodes here.

Did you know? Auguste Escoffier invented the stock cube

There are five ways to ‘temper’ chocolate (the technique to give chocolate a shine and crispness).

Using this website, research and write down the five ways to temper chocolate and then indicate what would be the correct working temperature for milk chocolate.

If you are enrolled on our “Intro to Aviation, Travel and Tourism, and Hospitality” Course, please review the following:
Please read and remember the Phonetic Alphabet.
The Art of the Napkin Workbook

WELCOME TO HOSPITALITY AT HSDC – 74 SOUTH

You have enrolled to complete the 1-year Level 3 Diploma in Hospitality, Supervision and Leadership. You will already have achieved a level 2 qualification in a relevant subject – it might have been travel & tourism, catering or hospitality.

This 1-year course is completed primarily with you working in the restaurant as supervisors, gaining evidence under the guidance of the 74 South Restaurant Managers. You will also receive 2 hours of theory in the week where you will be supported with learning about the industry and completing your evidence folder. During the year, you will be involved in supervising guest chef and college lunches and dinners and will have the opportunity to meet people from the industry when they visit the college for various events. 

At the end of the year, you will complete a week’s work experience in the catering industry, preferably in a customer service role and if this is chosen well, then it could lead to your first step on the career ladder in hospitality. 

A career in hospitality and catering is varied, interesting and great fun with the opportunity to work in a variety of establishments and travel the world if you wish. I hope you are excited about the year ahead and we look forward to welcoming you.

GETTING AHEAD

1. Allergens – Use the time before you start the course to find out about ‘allergens’; this is an important part of your work and vital to ensure the safe service of food to your guests.
2. Napkin folding – have a go at learning some napkin folds that could be used in the restaurant to enhance your table settings. https://www.napkinfoldingguide.com/
3. Getting a job – it would be great if you had a job as a waiter / waitress in a hospitality setting – not only would this enable you to start earning but would give you experience of dealing with the public and learning about working in a restaurant / bar situation. It might take a while to find a job so start to apply early! Let your lecturer know how you are getting on – they might be able to help you with contacts!

Exploring Hospitality and Catering

Welcome to the exciting world of Hospitality and Catering. Over the next year, you will study a variety of theories and be involved in our contemporary College restaurant. As well as working closely with our highly experienced staff, you will also work alongside some of the country’s finest guest chefs throughout the year. You will be taught a broad range of skills that will prepare you for the next stage of your career in a professional kitchen once you complete your studies next summer. These range from planning a service to menu writing to leading a team, so there is plenty to look forward to.

Activity 1

For your Getting Ahead Activity, I would like you to explore the ‘food culture’ and ‘gastronomy’ of a European country (including the UK) of your choice. For example, write about how culture/religion, people’s lifestyles, the country’s geography, and sustainability have over the years influenced their food culture and way of life.

Activity 2

Once you have completed your investigation for Activity 1, why don’t you choose a national dish and beverage from your chosen country and write a little about it – what is the history? Why is this dish linked to that particular country? How did it become so popular?
I would love your findings to be presented in a good old-fashioned scrapbook – who doesn’t like a bit of ‘cutting and sticking’?

Did you know? The hospitality and catering industry is such a large and diverse industry that there is truly something for everyone.

Hi, I am Emma , I have worked in hospitality and training all of my career and joined the college as the Restaurant Manager before moving into teaching. I teach Food and Beverage Service, on the Introduction to Hospitality, Cabin Crew and Aviation, course, bringing lots of real industry experience into the classroom. The restaurant environment gives you the opportunity to develop transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, customer service, problem solving, and confidence, which are useful in any career. I enjoy helping students learn, grow, and achieve their goals, and one of the best parts of my job is seeing their progression and watching them develop the skills and confidence needed for their future success. – Emma Coath, Restaurant Manager and Lecturer.

Mark Banthorpe is a highly experienced chef with an international career spanning the UK, South Africa, the Caribbean, and the superyacht industry across the Mediterranean and Caribbean. His background includes senior roles in luxury resorts, private dining, and consultancy, working with a wide range of clients and cuisines.

Recently returning to the UK to be closer to family and his childhood roots, Mark has joined HSDC as a part-time lecturer in catering. He is passionate about passing on his skills, knowledge, and real-world experience to the next generation, encouraging students to build confidence, develop their craft, and embrace opportunities to travel and broaden their horizons.