Yesterday, (13 June) budding chefs Emellia Quelcuti, Charlie Newbury and Courtney Smith, graduated from the Level 3 Professional Cookery qualification with fellow student Charlotte Pilmore who has completed the Level 3 in Hospitality Supervision.
Their six-course menu of seasonal food included a palette cleansing rocket cocktail starter, followed by a choice of ham terrine with piccalilli and toasted brioche, beetroot and goat’s cheese salad, or treacle cured salmon with spring vegetables, grapefruit and sour cream.
A roasted cauliflower velouté was the course between starters and mains.
Diners had a choice of four main courses. There was a Tandoori chicken tagine with Moroccan fregola, green beans, cabbage and chilli and coriander chutney, herb-crusted cod with pommes pureé, asparagus, spinach and tartar sauce, roasted belly pork with hasselback potatoes, apple, purple sprouting broccoli, shallots and sage and apple jus.
For vegetarians, they prepared stuffed garlic mushrooms with lentils, spinach, goat’s cheese, tarragon rösti, tomato sauce and wild garlic and roast hazelnut pesto.
The pre-dessert palette cleanser and fifth course was a cooling rhubarb sorbet before the sweetness was served-up. There was a choice of treacle tart and Chantilly cream and raspberry, Eton mess or chocolate fondant with cherry ice cream.
Charlotte, 19, lined-up the cocktails and mocktails which included maple bourbon smash and faded sunrise – grenadine, orange juice and lemonade. Charlotte, who has future dreams of working in a large hotel, was also responsible for the “golden and glitzy décor”.
Emellia, 18, who has Spanish and Moroccan roots, would like to travel to different places to experience new cuisines. She works for Costa and will be saving-up hard to pursue her travel dreams, as would Charlie, 19, who would like to visit and work in Italy and experience its gastronomical delights, as she has an Italian heritage.
Finally, Courtney, 18, who currently works at The Blue Bell pub in Chesterfield, could see herself working in a bakery for a career as she has a passion for bread and pastry making.