Students learn about the sharp end of the butchery business
Students learn about the sharp end of the butchery business
A group of trainee chefs from South Thames College found themselves at the sharp end of the industry this week – when they visited Wiltshire’s award-winning butchery business, Walter Rose and Sons.
30 youngsters studying for their level one qualification in catering spent a day finding out at first hand the importance of top quality farming and butchery skills play in producing a tender and tasty cut of meat.
They spent the day visiting Walter Rose and Sons’ state-of-the-art cutting room and retail outlet at the firm’s Devizes headquarters before venturing out onto nearby Stokes Marsh Farm where beef farmer Tim Johnson – who supplies most of Walter Rose’s beef – walked the youngsters around the farm and introduced them to his naturally fed herd.
Trainee chefs from South Thames College found themselves at the sharp end of the industry this week – when they visited Wiltshire’s award-winning butchery business, Walter Rose and Sons.
Chef/lecturer, Ross Anderson, said the venture had been a huge success opening the eyes of his students to the importance of good animal husbandry and craft butchery.
“We want to inspire the young chefs of the future and I am convinced that by giving them first hand experience of the whole food chain they will end up with a far better understanding of the care and effort that has gone into producing the meat that they are being asked to cook. We are committed to making sure that the young people we send out into the industry will have a real understanding of the benefits of serving locally produced, carefully managed meat.
They have learnt more in this one day, meeting the farmer, talking to the butchers and experiencing the whole process than we could possibly have communicated in a classroom environment – and it is something that will remain relevant to the whole of their training,” he said.
Jack Cook, part of the family-based management team who run Walter Rose and Sons, said that working with the lecturers and students provided a great opportunity to show the chefs of the future the importance of quality and traceability.
“We believe that quality doesn’t just apply to the product, it runs all the way through the business- quality of service, reliability and delivery are all equally important and that’s why our customers in the catering industry know they can rely on us.
“We’re incorporating the very best traditions of our trade with the demands of the 21st century – that means we’re offering locally produced meat with exceptional eating quality, the skill and care of craft butchery combined with high grade information about the origin and welfare of the animals,” he said.
The day gave staff the opportunity to show the chefs of the future the importance of quality and traceability.
Now the college plans to develop the idea with visits to Walter Rose and Son – and to the farmers who supply them – for student from all three levels of the catering course at South Thames College and they are planning to work with Walter Rose and Son owner, Steve Cook, to develop a butchery master class at the college.
“For us, this is about investment in the future of the industry – and what a pleasure it is to meet with such an enthusiastic bunch of young people who were experiencing their first ever venture into their supply chain, “said Steve.
