Selby College Hospitality & Catering Newsletter Spring 2025
Department Newsletter
Dear [student name],
Dear student,
Greetings from Selby College’s Hospitality & Catering Department!
I am thrilled to welcome you to read our departmental newsletter, an exciting new publication designed to keep you informed and engaged with the latest happenings, developments and opportunities in our amazing department.
As the head of the department, I am continually inspired by the passion and innovation that our students and staff bring to the world of digital industries and computing. This newsletter is our way of sharing that inspiration with you.
In this edition, you can expect to find a wealth of information. We’ll bring you the latest news from our department, keeping you up-to-date with current trends and departmental achievements. It’s an excellent way for you to stay connected and informed about the field you are about to enter when you join us this September.
We also believe in the power of real stories to inspire and guide. That’s why we will be featuring student case studies, showcasing the journeys, challenges and successes of our students. These stories not only highlight the real-world application of our courses but also serve as a testament to the supportive and innovative environment that Selby College offers.
We are excited about the journey ahead and can’t wait for you to be a part of it.
Ben Porter Head of Hospitality & Catering
Wren Kitchens Donates Equipment to Students
Our students were equipped for the academic year ahead following a generous donation from Wren Kitchens. Each student was gifted NEFF digital kitchen scales which will help them measure and weigh ingredients when preparing food and drinks.
In addition to being used in assessments, the students are also using the scales to create a range of dishes for our onsite restaurant.
As part of their first assessment of the academic year, the students prepared a range of fruit and vegetable-based dishes. This included poached pear with fruit compote and Chantilly cream, stuffed baked tomato with mushroom and garlic and deep coated potato onion rings.
Debra Hutt, Head of PR at Wren Kitchens said: “Wren is not just about success in the kitchen retail sector, we take great pride in supporting local communities where we can. What better way to do this than support those that are training to make their careers within the kitchen environment. We wish Selby students every success in their development and are so pleased Wren was able to contribute to their training.”
Adrian Dawes, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Wren Kitchens for their generous donation. Our students use digital scales in every element of their course, from practical assessments to preparing dishes for our onsite restaurant, so it’s vital that they each have their own set of scales to work from. They have already been using the scales to experiment with some new recipes, which we’re looking forward to introducing as part of our restaurant lunches and evenings throughout the year.”
Using the finest locally sourced produce, the College’s onsite restaurant offers a range of delicious meals at competitive prices.
Recent meals on the menu have included Sautéed Duck Breast Salad, Hake with Cockles and Mussels served in a White Wine Beurre Blanc and Chocolate Chip Steamed Suet Pudding with Chocolate Sauce.
The restaurant opens on Thursday lunch times and evenings throughout the academic year, which include a number of themed nights
Hear from our Students Fun Facts!
May
“I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my family making traditional polish dishes when I was growing up, so I’ve always had a passion for cooking. I enjoy the thrill of working in a kitchen and being able to work across different stations. The restaurant service days are my favourite part of the course, as I love seeing the end product of what I’ve made and people’s reactions to it. That is why I would like to be a fine dining chef one day.
Oliver
“I wanted to learn to cook, so the Hospitality & Catering course was perfect. I love being in the kitchen and really enjoyed the pastry module. We also gain front-of-house experience on restaurant days. This course has taught me valuable skills and helped me meet new people.”
Average weekly UK household spend on restaurant and café meals is £14 There are 220 Michelin star restaurants in the UK
The UK’s most popular dining brand is Greggs
UK consumers spent a total of £132 billion in restaurants and cafés in 2023
As of September 2024, there were 36,433 licensed food-led premises in the UK
Former
Former Student Wins National Award
Student Wins Award
Former Hospitality & Catering student Kurtus Auty was recently awarded S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy’s Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought award.
student Kurtus Auty was recently S.Pellegrino Young Academy’s Fine Dining Lovers Thought award.
Currently a Head Chef at Bosun’s restaurant in York, Kurtus competed against some of the best young chefs in the UK and won the award for his signature dish, Courgette Dive.
at Bosun’s restaurant of the best young chefs UK and won dish, Courgette Dive.
Kurtus has enjoyed a successful career as a chef at restaurants such as Pucci in Mayfair and Mere by Monica Galetti, as well as a stint on Master Chef The Professionals in 2019.
has enjoyed a a chef at restaurants such in Mayfair and Mere by Monica as a on Chef The Professionals
Giving back to his former College, Kurtus attended our end-ofyear student awards ceremony where he presented a range of accolades, recognising our students’ achievements both in the kitchen and at the front of house.
his former College, Kurtus our end-ofstudent awards ceremony where he presented a range of recognising our achievements both in and at of house.
Students Wow Audience at Eat Your Heart Out Festival
Audience at Eat Your Heart Festival
Our students cooked up a storm at Selby District Council’s Eat Your Heart Out event – demonstrating how to cook low-budget, tasty meals.
The festival, which took place at Selby Abbey provided a programme of food-themed events, talks, activities and live cooking demonstrations.
students cooked at Selby District Out event how to cook low-budget, meals. took place provided a programme of activities and live cooking demonstrations.
2 Professional how to make and Cheddar
Our Level 2 Professional Cookery students, alongside Adrian Dawes took to the stage to demonstrate how to make its Broccoli and Cheddar soup.
This was just one of the meals which was on the budget recipe card that the students prepared for the event, helping attendees to try new recipes whilst keeping ingredient costs low.
of the meals on the recipe card that prepared for the event, keeping ingredient costs low.
Other recipes included Apple Pie, Crème Brule, Asian panseared Tuna, Dijon Lamb Chops and Chicken Milanese.
recipes included Crème Brule, Asian Chops and students wanted to showcase recipes were budget-friendly and has in or the incredibly proud of their creations and showcase them at
Adrian said: “The students wanted to showcase recipes which were budget-friendly and used simple ingredients which anyone has in their fridge or the cupboard. I’m incredibly proud of their creations and their ability to showcase them to the audience at
the event, making home cooking look fun and affordable. We hope that attendees found the demonstration useful and that they enjoy trying their hand at some of these recipes at home!”
and affordable. We useful and enjoy trying their recipes at
Joshua Winter, Level 2 Professional Cookery student said: “What I’ve learnt on my course and the support from my tutors has given me the confidence as an aspiring chef to try new recipes and methods of cooking. It was great to be able to put this to the test at the Eat Your Heart Out event and to show people that cooking from scratch really doesn’t have to be expensive or complex.”
Winter, Level Professional Cookery student on my and the support from my tutors has given me chef to try new recipes of cooking. It was this test at Out event people that cooking scratch really doesn’t expensive complex.”
