Hospitality and Catering students at Walsall College received a culinary insight into the journey of food from the farm to the fork, during a masterclass delivered by industry experts this week.

Chris Burt, an award winning chef and restaurateur visited the college’s Jerome’s Restaurant on Tuesday 19th May along with two of his chefs, Liam James Tinsley and Tom Garstone. They spoke to students about why they are committed to supporting local farmers by sourcing more local ingredients for the dishes served up in their restaurants.

Chris is the Group Executive Head Chef and owner of Shrewsbury-based restaurants, Momo-No-Ki, which offers Asian fusion cuisine and The Peach Tree, an independent café, bar and restaurant. He completed his training at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and The Savoy, while his debut book has received praise from New York Times’ critics.

During the masterclass students learnt about the improved quality and freshness of local produce and also explored various fine dining methods that can be used to create a range of inventive dishes. These included LoveTunk Bunz, a sticky Korean BBQ British lop pork with a quick cucumber pickle, and Shell Island, seared diver scallops with new potatoes, wheat asparagus, wild garlic hollandaise and its flowers and smoked bacon powder.

Samantha Grey, owner of Middle Farm based in Shropshire which supplies to Momo No Ki and The Peach Tree restaurants, also gave a talk about the rare animals kept on her farm and breeding processes they use to ensure the excellent quality and taste of produce.

Commercial Chef and Trainer Assessor in Hospitality and Catering at Walsall College, Steve Biggs, said: “The session gave students a chance to find out more from industry experts on the advantages of using locally sourced ingredients in their food preparation, an option that they will no doubt have to consider when they start their careers in the catering sector.”

Steve added: “Chris Burt is also a well-travelled chef and his adventures have had a great influence on the textures and flavours he uses in his cuisine to create a range of original recipes. He is passionate about the industry and has a very experimental style, which makes him a great role model for students.”

Hospitality and Catering student, Dominic Addie (21) said: “I found the masterclass really interesting as Chris spoke a lot about how he comes up with new ideas for recipes for his menus as well as the business side of running a restaurant. My aim is to eventually open my own restaurant so hearing from someone who has already achieved this was very inspiring.

“Learning more about the reasons why more and more restaurants are getting food from local farms instead of industrial agricultural plants to create healthier and better tasting dishes was also fascinating and very informative. It’s made me think more about the ingredients I will use in my cooking going forward.”

The college’s £11m Business and Sports Hub, set to open in September next to its Wisemore Campus, will feature 40-seat bistro restaurant. Steve added: “One of the main visions for the hub, including the restaurant, are for it to be imbedded in our local community and sourcing good quality food from local suppliers will be key to this vision.”