Industry figures are thanked for support

The College thanked representatives from the catering and hospitality industry for their support, with a special dinner in the Brasserie.

The Industry Reciprocation Dinner has taken place every year for the past four years for representatives of hotels who have helped out our College by taking students on placements or giving them tours.

On the menu was a starter of cauliflower soup, cannelloni of smoked ham or Mediterranean roulade, followed by baked cannon of lamb, pan fried turbot or Pac choi and water chestnut spring roll. Dessert was a choice of white chocolate and raspberry tartlet, orange and cardamom Crème Brulee, pears poached in red wine and ginger or a tropical fruit salad.

The dinner was prepared and served by students on the first year of the Culinary Arts Management course at the College.

Lecturer Holly Bamunuge said: "We started organising these dinners as a thank-you to those hotels which have taken students on work experience placements in their housekeeping departments, which helps them through the practical requirement of this module of their course. Some of the hotel managers also come in and give guest presentations about specialist areas of their job, such as revenue management.

"We also use many of these hotels frequently for tours for students, both during induction and as part of the accommodation studies modules, which is of great help to us, so this dinner is our way of giving them something back."

The guests came from companies including Hotel du Vin, Radisson Hotel, Novotel , Macdonald Burlington Hotel, Hyatt, Jury's Inn, Marriott Hotels Midlands, Copthorne Hotel, Holiday Inn Express and Malmaison.