Apprentices Celebration Dinner 141216

Compass Group UK & Ireland, the UK’s largest food and support services firm, recently put a group of their high performing chef apprentices to the challenge of cooking an award-winning menu, at their Apprenticeship Celebration Dinner.

The eight apprentices showcased their culinary skills, at the Unilever headquarters in Leatherhead on December 7, as they put together the Compass Senior Chef of the Year, David Mahoney’s winning “Chef of the Year” four-course menu. This included Black Sole, Oyster, Shellfish & Sea Herbs, Corn Fed Chicken and Pumpkin & Buttermilk Burnt Cream with Ginger, Plum & Pistachio.

23 VIP guests attended the event including key personnel from Compass Group UK & Ireland and Unilever Foodsolutions, as well as David Meller, the chair of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and Apprenticeship Delivery Board, which was set up to encourage businesses to develop quality apprenticeships across various sectors.

The event also highlighted the wider partnership Compass Group UK & Ireland has held with Unilever Foodsolutions over the past five years to support apprentices. In 2016 alone, Unilever Foodsolutions supported with more than 13 kitchen days allowing Compass apprentice chefs a great kitchen space to develop their skills. Following the Celebration Dinner, Unilever also hosted a masterclass for the apprentices on Indian Cuisine where they gained an insight into the cuisine including spices and basic recipes.

The apprentices, who come from various divisions of Compass, were chosen to take part in the two-day event as a result of their high performance levels in the last year.

Anthony Hickey, Culinary Programmes Manager, at Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: “Apprentices play a vital role in our business – they are the future of Compass and events like this help to increase their confidence and gain varied experience. It gives them the opportunity to pick up knowledge and learn new cooking techniques  from our more experienced culinary team members. The apprentices enjoyed taking part in the event and it was great to give them the opportunity to cook this award winning menu – they did a truly fantastic job.”

Patrick Kane, Apprentice Chef for Chartwells, and Compass’ Apprentice Chef of the Year winner, said: “Being an apprentice at Compass has been amazing, it has helped me to progress in my career and I don’t think I would be where I am now if it wasn’t for the apprenticeship. It was great to take part in the event, to learn new cooking methods and to then put them into practice for the dinner.”

Earlier this year, Compass Group UK & Ireland made a commitment to build the number of Compass apprentices to 1500 by the end of 2017. Already one of the UK’s top 100 apprenticeship employers, the business has trained 3000 apprentices in the last five years. Compass also recently launched its Barista Apprenticeship Pathway, which will offer barista training in the industry. The apprentices will work towards the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE), Coffee Diploma System (CDS), and accredited tea training with the London School of Tea.

For more information on apprenticeships available at Compass Group visit www.jobsatcompass.co.uk

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