Salford City College held a special afternoon tea event at its Open Day on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the launch of a brand new Patisserie course. Members of the community surrounding Walkden Sixth Form Centre were invited to its student training restaurant The Glass House for a complimentary afternoon tea prepared by the Patisserie course’s first student cohort.
Students of all levels from the College’s Hospitality & Catering, Professional Cookery and Patisserie courses were on hand to offer guests delicious food and fantastic service. The event formed part of the students’ practical assessments, in addition to their usual curriculum assessments.
Afternoon tea was served to the invited guests, which included specially invited members of the Walkden community, as well as potential students for next September who were attending the College’s Open Day.
Carol Brown, Hospitality and Culinary Arts teacher, explained: “We decided to hold the event to introduce the new afternoon tea menu to our neighbours and to our existing customers at The Glass House.
“It was also a great way to demonstrate to prospective students what to expect when they enrol with us, and it gave them a chance to speak to our current students about their thoughts on the course so far. It was a great success, and hopefully something we can repeat again!”
One particularly praising diner was 8-year-old Erin Barrie, who enjoyed the complimentary cakes with her grandparents and 5-year-old sister Belle. Following the event, Erin said: “We have just had a lovely afternoon tea. All the food was tasty, and the lemonade was very good too!”
Erin’s grandmother Angela added: “The whole thing was professional. All the students were very helpful and polite, and the presentation of the food was excellent.”
The next project for the Level 2 Patisserie course will involve making Christmas decorations and gingerbread houses for The Glass House Restaurant. The students will also be making seasonal items that will be available to purchase during December, including gingerbread and chocolate houses, handmade mince pies, Christmas puddings and chocolate truffles.
