North Hertfordshire College’s Hospitality & Catering department holds some amazing connections with big industry names who often help our students launch their successful careers. One particularly high-profile supporter of our students is Chef Patron Andrew Pern from Michelin-Star gastropub The Star Inn at Harome.
Level 3 Professional Cookery student Emily Simkins and NHC alum Jake Hooper travelled up to North Yorkshire for the exclusive placement opportunity at the establishment. Getting to work with an accomplished chef is an amazing opportunity, but there’s an added bonus to visiting The Star Inn – it was named the UK’s best gastropub in the Big 7 Travel’s 50 Best Gastropubs in the UK award!
In an open letter, Level 3 chef Emily told us some more about how the experience has supported what she’s learnt in the classroom:
“Last week, myself and ex-North Hertfordshire College student Jake had the privilege of working up north in Michelin star restaurant, The Star Inn. It was such an eye-opening experience which was ideal to do whilst in the last months of my college journey.
“I learnt many skills, one of which is working with Yorkshire’s finest doe deer – talk about extremely local produce!
“I loved working in pastry with the chefs, they taught me lots of useful little tricks which I will continue to use. I was able to do lots of preparation for the new seasonal menu and learnt new recipes and new techniques. I also got the chance to work alongside Chef Stephen Smith over in the larder, which was fun and interesting to learn their way of doing things. We were even lucky enough to experience a full tasting menu at The Star Inn at Harome as well as The Star Inn at The City, York – very tasty research indeed!
“A huge thank you to chefs Andrew Pern and Stephen Smith for letting us join your team for the week. I hope to be back soon!”
Anthony Gascoigne, one of NHC’s Catering tutors, said: “The opportunity to do a work placement at somewhere like The Star is an amazing experience which gives our young chefs a glimpse of how a Michelin Star Gastropub operates. It highlights the high standards required and gives the students the opportunity to work with high-quality ingredients they may not have had the opportunity to work with. Many thanks to Andy and Steve for the continued support of our young chefs.”
If you’re looking to start your own career in the Catering sector, be sure to check out North Hertfordshire College’s Hospitality & Catering courses! With NHC, you can stay close to home and connect with employers who’ll see you go far in your future career.