Walsall College Hospitality and Catering students received a professional masterclass from award winning Birmingham based chef and holder of a prestigious Michelin star, Brad Carter, on Tuesday 26th January. Brad, who owns his own restaurant, Carters of Moseley, was honoured with an industry this year and became one of only five chefs in Birmingham who can boast having received the accolade. Carters specialises in high quality modern British cuisine and Brad gave the college’s budding chefs an interactive lesson on different techniques for selecting and cooking game meat. Dishes on the menu included Pheasant Broth with Chestnut Noodles and Balmoral Red Deer (from the Queen’s estate) with Parsnips and Black Cardamom.
He said: “Creating game-based dishes can be quite daunting but the students seemed to take it in their stride and seemed unfazed by the professional tasks I set them. I hope the workshop gave them a good base for which to build on.
“It was a pleasure to be invited by the college as I am very passionate about mentoring young chefs and seeing their skills develop in the kitchen.
“I’ve also invited students to apply for the opportunity to gain work experience in my restaurant and look forward to developing stronger links with the college to help support up and coming chefs in our region.”
Curriculum Manager for Hospitality and Catering at Walsall College, David Higgins, said: “Sessions like these, delivered by industry professionals are a great complement to the core study programme aimed at developing students’ cooking knowledge and skills. We incorporate a number of masterclasses into the course throughout the year as they help to further increase students’ knowledge of the sector, help expand horizons and provide an insight into the types of career paths that await them.”
Student, Donavan Cooper, 18, said: “I was really inspired by the workshop as I as I didn’t realise so much could be done with game. I’m now excited about experimenting with different recipes and flavours in my own cooking. I was also great to get an idea of how you could earn a Michelin star as I hope to get one myself one day.”
Students also have the chance to develop their skills further and gain experience working in the college’s recently opened restaurant, The Littleton, which is located in its business and sports venue, The Hub.
