Part of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts National Adopt A School Week
On Tuesday 6 March, 40 secondary school children enjoyed a unique (and muddy) farm-to-table tour of Goodwood, the sporting estate in West Sussex, as part of a nationwide bid to teach young people about provenance.
The children, from Bohunt School in Worthing, followed the journey from the fields where animals graze to the kitchens at the Estate’s sustainable restaurant Farmer, Butcher, Chef. There, they met the Goodwood chefs who create unusual dishes using the organic beef, pork and lamb reared on the farm.
It is hoped the day, which is part of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ National Adopt a School Week programme, will be the first of many at Goodwood.
Starting off with a tour of Goodwood Home Farm, the children learnt how pigs, sheep and cows are looked after, saw where Goodwood’s meat is butchered and where the milk and cheese is processed.
Following this, Goodwood’s Executive Chef Darron Bunn hosted a workshop to explain the relationship between field and fork on the Estate. He displayed and discussed the ingredients for a sample meal, including showing the children unusual cuts such as brisket and ox tongue. The students then visited the restaurant kitchen to watch some food preparation before tasting the finished dishes back in the restaurant.
Jason Staples, food teacher at Bohunt, said: “It has been a brilliant day for the children. I’ve been amazed at how engaged they have been. Many of them want to become chefs, so this kind of experience is really important. They would rarely have the chance to taste food like this or speak to such high-profile chefs about career paths in food and hospitality.”
Arvin Zamani, 15, said: “I really enjoyed learning about all the weird vegetables. I didn’t realise there were so many varieties. I also liked seeing how the animals are well looked after. They have good lives.”
Sarah Stewart, Education Officer at Goodwood, added that teaching the next generation of chefs about food and farming was vital for the future growth of the hospitality industry: “Various studies have revealed a shocking lack of knowledge in children about where our food comes from. We hope to have given these students a full picture and appreciation of food production, processing, preparation and presentation.”
The Year 10 secondary school students from Bohunt School, Worthing, are studying for a NCFE Level 2 certificate in Food and Cookery, which is a vocational GCSE equivalent.
Goodwood is committed to nurturing young talent, especially in the kitchen. It launched the Chef Academy training programme in 2014 in response to growing demand within the Estate’s diverse food businesses. Apprentices spend two years working across the Estate’s four restaurants and in the kitchens at Goodwood House, catering for corporate events, weddings and balls.
They also work on the 3,400-acre organic farm, developing a greater understanding of the award-winning meat, cheeses, ales and lager that are produced on the Estate.
In December 2017, Farmer, Butcher, Chef celebrated its one-year anniversary with celebrity chef Tom Kerridge. Our trainee chefs were invited to cook with him – an inspirational experience for all involved.
As one of the world’s biggest luxury experience companies, Goodwood is becoming increasingly famous for food and as such it is the perfect platform to help grow and encourage young chefs. Goodwood’s restaurants include The Kennels private members club, Farmer, Butcher, Chef, The Bar & Grill and The Old Control Tower Café.
For all recruitment and careers enquiries please contact Goodwood on 01243 755000 or email careers@goodwood.com
