Racing to success – Catering & Hospitality students at British Grand Prix

Behind the scenes at this world-famous British Grand Prix at Silverstone, MK College students and staff were hard at work.

For their final project, our Catering and Hospitality students were at Silverstone from the Wednesday before the racing began and spent the following days preparing, cooking and serving the food at the British Racing Drivers Club marquee. Serving hundreds of guests over the weekend was a high-pressure situation for our learners, but they worked extremely hard and delivered some fantastic results.

Course Team Leader for Catering and Hospitality at the College, Lucy Shamaro, said: “I have had the amazing honour of watching our team of students rise to the challenge of cooking for the BRDC Marquee and Farm. In some cases, it is their very first step into the industry and for others their last lesson from us. We ended this week with smiles, laughter and tears from many.”

Workplace Trainer Richie Carter added: “Weeks like this, days like those, are the reason I love my job! In the BRDC Marquee the students travelled so far and achieved so much. The weekend was made especially poignant with it being a farewell to the amazing Level 3 Processional Cookery students – they were outstanding and will be very successful if they continue in the same determined manner. Sore feet, aching bones and tiredness aside, we all made everlasting memories”.

Christine Lowrie, Deputy Head of School for Hair, Beauty, Hospitality and Motor Vehice, also commented: “I had the privilege of joining the team on Friday and what I witnessed was so impressive from them all. Alongside the tutors and the Silverstone team, the learners were professional, respectful, demonstrated amazing skills and had fantastic team work. Many qualified chefs will not have experienced the fast pace and amount of covers they completed over the three days. What an incredible achievement. Thank you to the Chefs who made this possible and have worked so hard behind the scenes to build these relationships that give our learners these amazing opportunities”.

What an incredible way to finish the year. A huge congratulations to all of the learners and colleagues involved in making this project happen.