February 2015
UCB hosts ABST Tutor Day
Read time: approx 1 mins
Tutors from around the country have been baking up a storm in the UCB bakery as part of their Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees (ABST) Tutor Day workshop.
The day began with a demonstration workshop by renowned French baker and Callebaut UK ambassador Richard Bertinet. Specialising in bread, sourdough in particular, Richard led the group in a practical session in traditional French bread-making techniques and bringing a fresh perspective to time-old processes.
In the afternoon the group was given a tour of UCB’s facilities, including a look at the new Food Innovation Suite on the fourth floor. Callebaut representative Beverley Dunkley showed everyone how to preserve and use different types of chocolate. She explained the differences between tempering different chocolate recipes, especially when working with Callebaut’s couverture chocolate, which has a high cocoa butter content, and showcased some of Callebaut’s new gourmet confectionery products.
The workshop had bakery tutors from all over the country meeting at UCB to learn new skills and techniques. These tutor workshops are all about making sure current skills, both craft and technical, are retained in the industry. It’s ensuring that bakery tutors have the most up-to-date skills and techniques to pass onto their students. The ABST seek to support all who are studying bakery or undertaking bakery training within the industry.
Callebaut is part of Barry Callebaut, which is the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa, chocolate and confectionery products. Callebaut’s chocolate recipes are popular with confectioners, pastry chefs and chocolatiers all over the world. Callebaut UK Specialist Beverley Dunkley has been a great partner to UCB and has been an inspiration to bakery students and tutors she has worked with.
Richard Bertinet runs the award-winning Bertinet Kitchen cookery school, which offers classes and short courses for both recreational and professional bakers. He also runs the Bertinet Bakery, which supplies top hotels and retail outlets across the South West. He was also named BBC Food Champion of the Year 2010 at the BBC Food and Farming Awards.