Hospitality and Catering

Food and Nutrition

The aim is to inspire the love for food by learning to choose fresh British ingredients to reduce food miles and make healthier food choices independently using the Eatwell guide. The Department for Education recommends that at Key Stage 3 pupils should understand and apply the principles of nutrition and health, cook predominantly savoury dishes and become competent in a range of cooking techniques. They also need to learn to apply heat in different ways by using microwaves, ovens or hobs. Awareness of taste, texture and smell is required to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients. Adapting and using their own recipes is important for pupils to understand the source, seasonality and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients. In Food we have adapted the recommendations in our curriculum to ensure they are all covered by the end of Key Stage 3, pupils are supported to achieve this through both theory and practical lessons.

Hospitality & Catering - Example Work

Hospitality and Catering

The Hospitality and Catering course is for Key Stage 4 pupils who pick their GCSE options in Year 9. The aim is for pupils to learn about issues related to nutrition and food safety and how they affect successful hospitality and catering operations; developing food preparation and cooking skills; transferable skills of problem-solving, organisation and time management, planning and communication skills required for independent learning and development; skills of project based research, development and presentation then lastly, the fundamental ability to work alongside other professionals, in a professional environment.

The Department

The Food Department is very passionate about health literacy in pupils and helps them understand the importance of food choices and cooking using fresh ingredients. We use an evidence based approach in our cooking and relate our dishes to the Eatwell guide to ensure our bodies are well nourished and hydrated. Pupils learn about healthy eating, health, food commodities and a range of skilled dishes. We encourage healthy eating but the question is; who doesn't like a sweet treat every once in a while? The answer is we all like a little sprinkle of sweetness sometimes! We have a few bonus practicals for pupils to make sweet treats such as chocolate chip cookies. Pupils become more independent by the end of each year and some pupils feel confident to cook at home. We understand the individual needs and capabilities of all our pupils therefore, we are patient with our pupils to ensure they develop their cooking skills at their own pace and capability. We encourage all pupils to work as a team and support each other positively during lessons.