Beacon Project pupils have a sweet morning with Jockey Club Catering

On Tuesday, the Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project (NAGBP) turned up the heat as 20 Year 10 pupils took over the Champions Gallery kitchens at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile racecourse for a dessert masterclass. The hospitality and catering students took part in demonstrations led by some of Jockey Club Catering’s finest chefs, before plating up their own dessert.

Pupils visited three stations to learn the skills needed to prepare each element of the dish- a fruit coulis, orange compote and chocolate garnish – which would accompany the plant-based chocolate mousse finger the chefs had made earlier. They then took their seats in the Champions Gallery restaurant to enjoy their creations with a panoramic view of the famous racecourse.

Head Chef for Jockey Club Catering’s East Region Damian Adams said: “What a great morning, all the pupils seemed to enjoy the session; I certainly did! My highlight of the morning was watching them getting creative with all the flavours and garnishes to create their very own dessert plates- and no cut fingers!!”

Damian started his career as a kitchen wash up, and his team inspired pupils with their many years of industry experience, sharing insights into working in a busy raceday kitchen and their journey to their current roles. The chefs will be drafted in to support the team at Aintree racecourse very soon as they will all help to feed the thousands of racegoers due to attend the Cheltenham Festival in March in its centenary year.

John Blake, CEO of Racing to School added: “The Newmarket Beacon was devised as partnership by the charity, the team at the Academy and sponsors Godolphin, to offer new and challenging activities to pupils as a way of exciting them about the width of career choices that exist in the working world. Just how many of those roles are critical to how the national sport of horseracing operates is always a surprise to the young people. An army marches on its stomach, they say, and a leisure industry lives and dies on the quality of its catering, as this popular Beacon activity was able to demonstrate.”

This session is the 13^th in a series of 30 events staged across year groups, and forms part of the Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project. The NAGBP has two key goals: to expand the aspiration and ambition of every student in the school through presenting the diverse career pathways that exist for them; and to provide students with the tools required to pursue these ambitions.