Tag: catering
A chef lecturer and an apprentice from Westminster Kingsway College are celebrating after being named winners in the prestigious Craft Guild of Chef Awards 2022.
Jose Souto, who has taught at the college for 18 years, scooped the Chef Lecturer Award, while chef de partie apprentice Grace Hawksley was presented with the Apprentice Chef Award.
The Craft Guild of Chefs Awards recognise exceptional talent in the industry, from apprentice and young chefs starting out to established chefs in hospitality, pubs and restaurants.
Jose and Grace received their awards from Andrew Green, Chief Executive of the Craft Guild of Chefs, and Nick Vadis, Culinary Director of Compass Group UK respectively, at a glittering ceremony at Magazine London in Greenwich on 9 June.
Before joining WestKing, Jose had worked as a Chef de Partie at the House of Commons for more than 20 years where he began as a sous chef. During this time he also worked at The Ritz, The InterContinental, Mosimann’s and the Savoy Grill.
Grace, 19, from Haywards Heath, is undertaking her Level 3 Apprenticeship at the four-star Gravetye Manor hotel in East Grinstead having completed a Commis Chef Level 2 Apprenticeship last year.
Young chef Lorcán wins Compass Apprentice Chef of the Year
WestKing commis chef apprentice Lorcán Leavy has been named Compass Group UK’s Apprentice Chef of the Year.
Lorcán, from Tower Hamlets, was among eight apprentice chefs who took part in a competition at the contract catering company’s head office in Chertsey to win the award.
Each chef was tasked with creating two courses in two hours using a mystery box of ingredients that included chicken, mackerel and seasonal produce.
Lorcán, who is training with Restaurant Associates, said: “I’m really happy to have won, it’s been a really good learning experience and has taught me to stay calm under pressure.”
All the entrants have been invited to cook at the Apprenticeship of the Year dinner at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in July.
Congratulating Jose and Grace on behalf of the WestKing hospitality and culinary team, WestKing Assistant Principal Terry Tinton said: “Jose is an amazing educator that dedicates his work and personal time to training and supporting the next generation of chefs.
“As a senior lecturer he works tirelessly to ensure the college engages with the industry and that our curriculum offer exceeds the needs of our partners.
“Grace has always been an exceptional student and this accolade is a testament to her hard work and professionalism. The entire apprenticeship team has done a fantastic job, training, mentoring and support Grace through her studies.”
Steve Munkley, Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs, said: “This has been a year of exceptional challenges and I am so proud to see that we have so many worthy winners.”
Have you considered a career in the exciting hospitality industry? Chefs are in demand throughout the UK and London is a major culinary hotspot, so you too could follow Jose and Grace into the kitchen by studying at Westminster Kingsway College – one of the UK’s top culinary schools. Apply now for Hospitality and Culinary Arts courses and apprenticeships.
Student chefs won an outstanding 55 medals as Westminster Kingsway College was named the highest achieving college at this year’s International Salon Culinaire.
More than 600 chefs took part in the culinary challenge, considered one of the world’s top competitions for chefs, at the Hotel, Restaurant and Catering event at ExCel London in March.
WestKing’s students achieved three gold, 37 silver and 16 bronze medals and two certificates of merit, in various culinary skills challenges.
Among the college’s top performers were Professional Chef Diploma students Taylor Muller and Kaleisha Gordon, both 18, who each won a gold medal and best in class.
Taylor was awarded for her lamb and Kaleisha for her petit fours.
Kaleisha said: “I felt very excited to be chosen to participate in the competition and I really wanted to prove to myself that I was good enough. I was very happy when I won gold and knew all my hard work had paid off.
“The competition pushed me to really show my skills. We only had a week to prepare so I made a plan of everything and stayed behind at college every evening to practise.
“What I love most about cooking is the creativity and being able to express myself through my dishes. I enjoy challenging myself and seeing how far I can push myself.
“The college has prepared me well for the working world. It’s given me more confidence in the kitchen and helped me discover so much about myself.”
Also among the winners was Commis Chef apprentice Cameron Jones, 18, who won a gold medal for his amuse-bouche and a silver for his lemon sole filleting.
Other medallists included Marli Carter, 19, and Jess Erskine, 18, who were both presented with silver medals and named best in class for their deserts and pastries respectively.
Miranda Quantrill, Curriculum Manager for Hospitality and Culinary Arts, said: “We were thrilled to have been the highest achieving college at this year’s Salon Culinaire and are immensely proud of all our students and apprentices.
“For many of them, it was their first time taking part in such a highly regarded competition against other colleges, restaurants and hotels, so to take home more than 50 medals is a fantastic achievement. They are a credit to themselves, their mentors, their teachers and the college.”
Michelin-star chef Michel Roux Jr presented medals and certificates to the winners of the competition, which was judged by some of the UK’s most renowned chefs.
Steve Munkley, Director of International Salon Culinaire, said: “Salon Culinaire 2022 was an outstanding success, with all the theatre kitchens buzzing from early doors until the last competition.
“As Salon Director I was so proud to see the industry showing off its professionalism, hunger and tenacity, not letting anything stand in the way of getting us back on track and cooking. An amazing show.”
WestKing is one of the country’s top colleges for learning cooking and the culinary arts. As well as having great contacts with high-quality hospitality employers, which helps students get good jobs when they finish their studies, we also support students into culinary competitions like the Salon Culinaire, which is amazing preparation for their future careers.
Find out more and apply now for hospitality and culinary arts courses and hospitality apprenticeships.
A Nigerian chef who trained at Westminster Kingsway College hopes to inspire more black female chefs after being recognised for her success since leaving college.
Opy Odutayo, 25, from Harrow, was named a Successful Former Students winner in the annual Professional Association for Catering Education (PACE) awards.
She studied for a Grand Escoffier Diploma at WestKing and was named Best Overall International student before completing an MSc Food Business Management at the University of West London.
Opy is now a chef at Mortimer House members club in Fitzrovia and is also the co-founder of Ice Cream & Ting, which makes and sells ice creams with Afro-Caribbean flavours.
She said: “This award is especially important to me as a black African woman. When I started, I was always comparing myself and saying I’m not good enough. I hope winning this award will inspire and raise the profile of other black female chefs.
“I don’t see many black female chefs being recognised and getting these kinds of awards, so it feels so good to receive it and know that all my hard work, learning and pushing myself in the kitchen is starting to pay off.”
Miranda Quantrill, Curriculum Manager at WestKing, who taught Opy when she studied at the college from 2018-19, nominated her for the PACE award.
She said: ‘’Opy is a fantastic role model. She has always worked extremely hard in everything she has done. She is an inspiration to those wishing to pursue a career in hospitality alongside education. I am proud to have been her tutor and it’s wonderful to see her continue to flourish as an entrepreneur and one of our acclaimed alumni.”
Opy grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and knew at the age of six she wanted to be a chef. After studying for a business economics degree in Ghana she moved to the UK in 2016.
While at WestKing, Opy helped Miranda at Billingsgate Seafood School at weekends and undertook a two-month work placement at three Michelin-star Galvin restaurants in London.
“Coming from Nigeria, I didn’t know anything about British food or French cuisine. I was just a blank slate coming with my hands open to learn,” said Opy.
“Miranda was a great teacher. If I was struggling, she would always tell me not to be scared and tell me I could do it. She took everyone along with her and made sure nobody was left behind.
“I truly enjoyed my time at WestKing. It gave me the foundation to grow and get to where I am today. Even now, when I need to know how to do something, it all leads back to my course. I still have my notes and use them today.”
“When people ask me about colleges I recommend, I always say WestKing – it’s the best place.”
Opy began her career working with fellow WestKing alum Ben Murphy at the Launceston Place in Kensington, AllBright members club in Mayfair and Nutshell in Westminster.
She featured in the 2020 Made You Look exhibition and hosted her own menu at the Carousel in Marylebone, which led to working with Future Plate, a company offering curated Afro-Caribbean fine dining events.
“This award has been an added motivation for me,” said Opy, who nearly quit being a chef after working excessively long hours at the start of her career.
“I often ask myself what is true meaning of success? I honestly don’t feel I’m there yet, but I’m my own worst critic. But when I look back, particularly in terms of confidence, I’m a completely different person now to when I started. I feel very proud of what I have achieved.”
Apply now for Hospitality and Culinary Arts courses.
Westminster Kingsway College’s hospitality students have been shaking things up behind the bar at the world-famous Waldorf Hilton hotel, with a series of cocktail masterclasses.
Twelve aspiring mixologists from the college’s Victoria Centre have been honing their bar skills at weekly training sessions at the luxury five-star hotel on London’s Aldwych.
Under the instruction of bar manager Massimiliano Terrile and his team they have learnt about various spirits and how to use these as a base for making different cocktails.
The students have also been trained in the correct use of professional bar equipment and discovered more about the history and tradition of many classic drinks.
Matthew Deller, 18, said: “I had no idea about any cocktails before I came here, but now I know about the different botanicals in gin, how vodka suits sharp flavours, the best way to mash and grind the mint for mojitos and how to make daquiris and negronis. It’s amazing to go to a college that’s so well connected and can give you these kinds of opportunities.”
Mia Lambert, 17, added: “I’ve learnt a lot about the history and science of different drinks and the methods of making different cocktails. We’ve not only been exposed to the bar side but been able to work at events as well. I feel so lucky and privileged. Not many people my age can say they’ve been able to have this experience.”
The students have been training at the Waldorf Hilton since November as part of their Hospitality and Events Level 3 Diploma and Food and Beverage Service Level 3 Diploma courses.
Jessica Grady, 17, said: “We’ve been given so many amazing opportunities on our course – meeting lots of famous chefs, experiencing fine dining and visiting hotels and events companies. The teachers are amazing. They know the way we work, and we can talk to them about anything. We get so much support.”
Each of the participating students will be presented with the Hilton Bar Qualification when they complete their training in April.
Bartender Silvia Dias, who has been helping with the training, said: “The students came in ready and excited to learn about new things and were open to everything. Some of what they learnt can be quite technical, but they didn’t put up any barriers and acquired a lot of knowledge very quickly. They were very interested and engaged and have bright futures ahead of them.”
WestKing’s Hospitality and Events Diploma, and Food and Beverage Service Diploma courses cover food and gastronomy, restaurant service, events, customer service, human resources, finance, marketing and business. These courses are the ideal preparation for anyone who wants a career in the hospitality, events, hotel or restaurant sectors.
Lindsey Lamont, Lecturer in Hospitality, commented: “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to receive professional drinks and cocktail masterclasses at one of London’s most prestigious hotels. It has helped them with their studies and developed their wider skills and knowledge with an unforgettable experience learning from the best in the business.”
WestKing always ensures parental permission is given for students under 18 to undertake training involving alcohol.
Interested in learning how to become a mixologist? Apply now for one of our Hospitality and Culinary Arts courses.
On 8 March, Jo Churchill, the Minister for Agri-Innovation and Climate Adaptation, visited Westminster Kingsway College’s Victoria Centre, where she found out about what the college’s renowned School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts is doing to tackle the issue of food waste, and how to turn leftover food into a delicious meal.
The event was organised by the charity WRAP as part of Food Waste Action Week, their annual campaign which aims to help people reduce the amount of food that they waste. As a Minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Jo has responsibility for environmental management and waste, and cares passionately about the issue.
Food waste is a huge problem with a significant environmental impact. If food waste were a country, it would have the third largest carbon footprint in the world – with approximately 1/3 of all food wasted, the resources used to make it contributes to 8-19% of total man-made greenhouse gas emissions. And as Catherine David, Director of Collaboration and Change at WRAP explained: “Over the next seven days, the UK will waste more than 87,000 tonnes of food across all our homes, contributing to this country’s 9.5 million tonne food waste mountain. But if we focus on storing food well, making lists before we shop, freezing and defrosting more, we can tackle this problem and save money too.”
Although most food waste in the UK is in people’s homes, chefs have an important role to play too by reducing food waste in their restaurants and hotels. Colleges like Westminster Kingsway must play their part too, by ensuring that their culinary students are trained in the most efficient use of food and how to minimise wastage.
Our culinary students, led by Culinary Arts Lecturer Vince Kelly, treated the Minister and guests to a menu of delicious small bowls of food made from some of the most commonly wasted foods, including potatoes, carrots, bread, bananas, fizzy drinks, fruit smoothies, milk and meat.
The visit concluded with Jo and guests finally getting to enjoy the dishes the students had made, which inspired everyone to think of how they can make simple delicious food at home out of their leftovers.
The menu included, to start:
- Spiced paneer on carrot slaw with a lime and poppyseed dressing – made from leftover milk and carrots.
- Ham croquettes with a minted pea puree – made with sliced ham, potatoes, bread and frozen veg.
- Thai potato cake, with date banana chutney – made from banana skins and potatoes.
For the main:
- Roast pork trim pie topped with mash and crisp fried skins – made from leftover pork and potato skins.
- Stir fried chicken trim and rice – made with the final trims of meat from a chicken and frozen veg.
- Roast vegetable crostini – using leftover bread baguettes.
And to finish:
- Carrot cake – made from leftover carrots.
- Fizzy drinks sorbet – made from a combination of fizzy drinks.
- Fruit fool – made using leftover fruit juices and smoothies.
Access the recipes here and cook them yourself.
Find out more about our highly regarded culinary and hospitality courses here.
To mark Hospitality Apprenticeships Week (18-22 October), we spoke to Craig Parsons, Apprenticeship Manager at Fuller, Smith & Turner, about apprenticeships and careers with the company’s 400 pubs, bars and hotels.
Tell us about your career in hospitality.
I’m a chef by trade but my job is to manage the apprenticeships for the whole Fuller’s estate.
Although I studied for a Sports Biomedicine degree, I loved cooking and wanted to pursue a career in the kitchen. At the time you couldn’t do an apprenticeship if you had a degree, so I applied for various jobs instead. I was given the opportunity to trial working in a kitchen, which eventually led to working for two AA rosette pubs.
I read a lot of books and developed my own style and role in restaurants, ski chalets and hotels. I’ve also been involved in food development for big supermarkets and worked for an apprenticeship provider. Because I couldn’t get on an apprenticeship myself, I wanted to give other people the education they deserve.
Tell us more about Fuller’s relationship with WestKing.
We began running Commis Chef and Chef de Partie apprenticeships with WestKing in 2019 and currently have 30 apprentices training. The college is renowned for being one of the best educational establishments for cookery in the world and we’re delighted they’re now in our network of education providers.
Whenever we look to work with a college, we always send our staff out to experience a class for themselves. You cannot fail to be impressed by WestKing’s prestige and ethos and we know the apprentices are going to be trained to the highest standards.
What skills will apprentices gain during their apprenticeship?
Our apprenticeships are about giving people the best education, not just for now but for later in life. At Fuller’s, we don’t always need to prep food from start to finish, but we still train our chefs with those skills because we know they’re going to use them in the future. It’s not just about what Fuller’s needs but about the whole industry.
The reason we use colleges is because they give students room to fail and that is often the best way to learn. From advanced pasta making to butchering, it’s important to have a safe environment where you can get advice and have room to improve.
What do you look for in an apprentice?
Ultimately, we’re looking for people with the right attitude, who want to get out of bed in the morning and have the drive to come to an interview and apply themselves at work and college. I don’t want anyone to feel they can’t join our apprenticeship programme.
Why is hospitality such a good career?
A career in hospitality can take you anywhere. I always had in my head that I didn’t want to stay in one environment for more than two years, although I’ve been at Fuller’s for seven years now.
At Fuller’s, you can move around and gain experience in many different environments and still have the security of a large company that offers great pay and benefits. You can earn from day one, add your own twist to dishes on the menus and become a head chef in four or five years.
What advice would you give to anyone considering a hospitality career?
Don’t just look at the name of the employer you want to work for, look at the training you’re going to get. Sometimes it’s not clear exactly what training is being offered. Make sure you know what you’re signing up for.
How is Fuller’s responding to the impact of the COVID pandemic?
COVID has had such an impact. The Government wants to push everyone into STEM careers. I can understand the motivation behind it but we’re starting to see big gaps across the hospitality sector.We need them to react to what’s going on and recognise the industry needs help to get people trained and into work.
There is going to be a new population of people looking for hospitality careers and there’s also a lot of untapped potential out there.At Fuller’s, we’re looking to expand our apprenticeship team and ways to increase awareness of apprenticeships across the sector.
We’re also planning further school liaisons to engage with young people.We’ve previously ran school events where we would teach the students skills such as how to fillet a fish and have had candidates coming forward off the back of that, so we know it works.
What are the benefits of being an apprentice with Fuller’s?
We started with a chef apprenticeship programme in 2016 because that is where we had a skills shortage. We started with 16 apprentices and now have more than 120 across the business. As well as chef apprenticeships we also run training programmes for our front of house and general managers. One of the biggest benefits is that we offer all our apprentices a permanent role upon completion of their programme. Fuller’s is also making big changes to its current pay and benefits package. We’re already industry leading with our apprenticeship pay and about to offer the highest national pay rate.
The learning opportunities are endless. Our apprentices can compete in our annual Chef of the Year competition, where past winners have had the chance to visit Michelin star restaurants in New York and Hong Kong. We also provide visits to our supply chain to see how our meat and produce is sourced and prepared.
Fuller’s has also won awards pre-COVID including Best Apprenticeship Training Programme at the British Institute of Innkeeping National Innovation in Training Awards and a silver award for Best Apprenticeship Programme at the Training Journal Awards.
How are our current apprentices doing?
They are all loving their apprenticeships and have remained positive despite COVID. They say it’s been tough but are seeing the positive impact the training is going to have on their future careers. There will always be cases where some people are struggling but we’ve got the support mechanisms in place to help them one-to-one and through the Licensed Trade Charity.
How do you see your partnership with WestKing developing?
I’ve been to an induction day at WestKing and plan to go and see some of the cookery sessions next year. I’m keen to get our general managers and head chefs along to the college and help co-train and co-assess learners, which will not only remind them of culinary techniques but also teach them about new trends and increase their skillset.
How do you apply for an apprenticeship with Fuller’s?
All apprenticeships at Fuller’s are advertised on our website and on job sites like indeed.co.uk. Successful applicants will be assessed by a college on their suitability for an apprenticeship.
WestKing runs Hospitality and Culinary Arts apprenticeships with many companies across the sector. Click here to Apply Now.
Westminster Kingsway College’s award-winning School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts in Victoria has been nominated in two categories at the coveted Cateys Awards 2020.
The Cateys are the ‘Oscars’ of the hospitality industry, and are run by the leading industry magazine The Caterer. The awards are one of the biggest events in the hospitality calendar and recognise the “most talented individuals, the biggest brands and strongest performers in the hospitality industry.”
WestKing has been shortlisted in two categories:
- Deputy Executive Principal (and Master Chocolatier) Gary Hunter, is shortlisted for the Education and Training Award;
- The college’s unique and innovative Culinary Medicine programme and degree course in Culinary Health and Nutrition, have been nominated for the Health and Nutrition Award.
Speaking about his nomination, Gary Hunter said: “I’m delighted and honoured to have been shortlisted for this year’s Cateys, alongside three other great culinary educators.
“I am fortunate to lead a wonderful team of professionals at Westminster Kingsway College, who inspire and educate our culinary students every day. This nomination is very much a recognition of their hard work, dedication and expertise.”
The #Cateys 2020 shortlist for the Health and Nutrition Award has @Westking nominated this year. Phenomenal work by the whole team to even be shortlisted. I couldn’t be prouder! #culinaryhealth #foodchallenge #HealthyEating #culinarymedicine
— Gary Hunter (@GaryHunterChef) September 30, 2020
Westminster Kingsway College has over 100 years’ culinary expertise and we are at the forefront of the emerging science of culinary medicine. We help to run a culinary medicine course for NHS clinicians (in partnership with Culinary Medicine UK), and running our own Degree course in Culinary Health and Nutrition.
The culinary medicine course gives doctors and medical students a greater understanding of the vital role that nutrition plays in health, and enables them to speak to their patients about the dietary changes they could make based on their medical condition.
The course has recently been adapted to educate students about nutrition challenges that have been exacerbated by COVID-19, for example the difficulties that some – especially those from poorer households – have in getting good-quality and nutritious food to help them fight infection.
Our degree course in Culinary Health and Nutrition is the only one of its kind. It’s designed for trained chefs and gives them an in-depth understanding of the medical effects of food on health and wellbeing, and a grounding in the scientific principles of clinical nutrition. The degree is a stepping-stone into many careers in nutrition, including in commercial product development, corporate wellness, working with the health sector, public health, the supplementation industry and sports nutrition.
WestKing Chef Lecturer Vince Kelly tutors on both courses. He told us:
“It’s fantastic that the college has been recognised for our Culinary Medicine programme and our new Culinary Health and Nutrition Degree course. The link between nutrition and health is – thankfully – becoming better understood in both the hospitality and clinical worlds, and I am really pleased to be able to pass on my knowledge, passion and expertise to clinicians and my fellow professional chefs.”
The winners of the Cateys will be revealed in a virtual ceremony on Tuesday 24 November.
Find out more about all our culinary arts and hospitality courses.
“It’s been really busy. We’re in week 8 and so far we’re coming up to our 6000th meal.” Trainee chef Benji Nathan doesn’t like to have nothing to do. When faced with the prospect of no work for weeks or maybe even months because of the UK-wide COVID-19 lockdown, some people might be tempted to kick back a bit and relax.
Not Benji. In addition to his online studies with Westminster Kingsway College, he works for his cousin Adam in his catering business Adam Nathan Catering, preparing delicious dishes for the company’s clients. When the lockdown was announced in March, Adam asked Benji if he could help out more, as Adam wanted to continue creating dishes for any of the firm’s clients who still needed them and to help support the NHS at the same time.
As Benji explains: “A friend of Adam’s works at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Central London. She told us that many of the staff weren’t eating properly, because they are really busy and the canteen is closed now, because of the virus. We thought we could help, so whenever we get an order for our meals from a paying customer, we offer them the chance to spend an extra £10 to ‘donate a meal’ to the hospital. With the help of Richard Delow, who trained to be a chef at Westminster Kingsway College too, we’re averaging 130 meals for the hospital each week, which is all thanks to the generosity of our customers.”
As well as catering for the company’s customers and the donated NHS meals, Benji also bakes for a north London community organisation called You Donate We Deliver, which provides free meals for NHS workers. Since it was started by a north London mum and her daughter at the end of March, You Donate We Deliver has gone from helping a handful people to feeding thousands of staff in hospitals across north London every day, with the help of a small army of delivery drivers and chefs like Benji, coordinated through six ‘hubs’ across the region.
Benji continues: “When I leave college I want to be a chef. I am studying on the college’s Pastry diploma to expand my knowledge and become a more well-rounded professional. So every week at home with my family, I bake around 150 portions – cakes mostly – for my local You Donate We Deliver hub in Totteridge. It’s wonderful to be able to do what I love, while helping the NHS at the same time!”
But that isn’t all. As well as baking for NHS staff, and the catering work and NHS meals he prepares with Adam and Richard, Benji also has to keep up his Westminster Kingsway college studies, even while it’s closed. He is in his third year at the college and, before the lockdown, was studying at our Victoria campus full-time. Now working at home or from Adam Nathan Catering’s St Albans kitchen, Benji has been able to continue learning and has enjoyed watching the college’s ‘lockdown’ online Culinary Masterclasses series too. “The other chefs in the kitchen and I have watched the Masterclasses and really enjoyed them. The next Masterclass is with Sarah Mountain [a well-known Pastry Chef] and I’m really looking forward to that!”
As you’d expect, Benji’s Level 3 Patisserie Diploma course has many practical elements, so, although he can’t attend college and practice his craft in the kitchens there, he’s definitely keeping his eye in at home. “I am very busy doing college work, plus all the meals I’m doing with Adam, and baking for You Donate We Deliver. I love it and it’s very rewarding!
“I have also been practicing other baking techniques and learning new skills too. For example, I’ve been learning how to make flowers and things like that out of fondant icing, to decorate cakes. It’s my Grandma’s 95th birthday soon and I’m going to make her a cake and hand-pipe some flowers to go on it. I hope she likes it.”
Click here to find out more about our unrivalled range of culinary and hospitality courses.
Updated: 28 July 2020
We are looking forward to our new and returning students joining us in September 2020. We are currently processing applications and welcoming new ones, so if you are looking to study with us, please browse our website and apply online today. We also have a range of free short courses that you can take part in online, over the summer.
Our Plans for September
The majority of our courses will be delivered from September 2020 in a mixed format – blending online lessons with face-to-face teaching.
We are taking every precaution possible to provide a safe learning environment for you in September 2020 throughout our college buildings, including installing hand sanitisation stations throughout the buildings, one-way systems, alternate timetables and 2 metre social distancing.
Enrolment will begin online from GCSE Results Day, 20 August 2020 – please check back in a few weeks for more information on how to enrol at WestKing. If you haven’t already applied to study with us, you can apply online today – it makes enrolling with us even quicker!
Results for Current Students
Most of our current students will receive their results by email this year, with certificates being issued in the autumn. If you studied A Levels, you will receive an overall grade for each subject, but you will not receive marks for individual papers, as these were not part of the grading process this year.
A paper copy of your results will also be sent to your home address in the week after results day. Details on appealing your results will be in the email along with your grades. Please ensure that all appeals are sent to the appropriate appeals email address along with your full personal details and attach a copy of your results.
Results will have equal status at universities, colleges and employers and will be treated the same as in any other year.
If you’re looking for careers advice and guidance, or help with what to do next, use our live chat service to talk to one of our advisers.
Useful links
Thank you for your continued support and keep safe.
Roy O’Shaughnessy
Capital City College Group, Chief Executive
An all-female team of Westminster Kingsway College Hospitality and Culinary Arts students had an unforgettable experience on Thursday 5 March, when they had the chance to showcase their skills – as well as meet the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a galaxy of famous women – at Number 10 Downing Street.
The students prepared and served delicious canapés and drinks to 110 guests at the Prime Minister’s reception to mark International Women’s Day (#IWD2020). At the reception were leading female figures from business, science, sport and other sectors, including double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, the founder of STEMettes Anne-Marie Imafidon, and Collette Roche, the chief operating officer at Manchester United Football Club. Also present were fifty secondary school girls from Year 9, who are due to make their GCSE choices.
In a panel discussion at the event, the Prime Minister and an all-female panel spoke about a range of issues, including the importance of inspiring the next generation of women into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) fields, and the gender pay gap.
The International Women’s Day reception is an annual event at No. 10 and this is the first year that the college has had students working at it. The team of nine students and two members of staff worked with their colleagues at our Victoria Centre’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts to overcome some logistical challenges before they faced the novel and high-pressure situation of serving hot food and drinks at one of the world’s most famous addresses.
As Hospitality Lecturer Lindsey Lamont explained: “No. 10 contacted us a few weeks ago asking us if we could provide the food and drinks – and the students to prepare and serve it – for their International Women’s Day reception.
“Because of the nature of the event, they wanted the team to be all-female. We also realised early on that we would need to pre-prepare the food at our Victoria Centre and transport it to Downing Street, for the team to assemble, cook and plate-up in the No. 10 kitchens – which none of us had used before.
“We are always finding ways to prepare our students for the workplaces they will be in when they graduate from the college, so we jumped at the challenge!”
On arrival at Number 10, the students worked in two teams. The kitchen team of culinary students were mentored and supported by Chef Lecturer Miranda Godfrey; they heated and plated the food, which had been made their fellow students at the Victoria Centre. Meanwhile, the front-of-house team of Hospitality students, led by Lindsey Lamont, served drinks and the canapés to the Prime Minister and his guests.
The canapés created and served were:
Savoury
- Smoked Salmon Roulade
- Chicken Skewers with a dip
- Warm Mushroom Tart
Sweet
- Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cremeaux
- Baked Cheesecake
- Baileys Choux Bun
One of our Professional Chef Diploma students told us: “It was amazing experience working at 10 Downing Street. There were women and girls from all walks of life and it was wonderful to be able to meet them.”
“I’d never been to Number 10 before and it was a great experience for me and the rest of the team”, explained another student. “Although I was busy working, I was able to chat to some of the guests. Quite a few of them asked me about my course and my ambitions for when I leave college.”
Also present was Boris Johnson’s fiancé Carrie Symonds, who is expecting the couple’s first baby in the summer. One of our students who is studying Hospitality and Events told us: “It was nice to see Boris and his fiancé together at the event and great to see her supporting International Women’s Day. Carrie spent time chatting to the schoolgirls, and after the event was over, Boris came to talk to us privately. He shook all our hands and said that he’d loved the food. The whole thing was a brilliant experience.”
Hospitality Lecturer, Lindsey Lamont summed up the event: “There was such a lovely atmosphere there. It really was buzzing at the event and it was fantastic that the Prime Minister took the time to meet us and the students afterwards. We were delighted to be able to give some of our students the opportunity to work at such a high-profile event – what a thing to have on your CV! – and we hope that No. 10 will be calling on us again in the future.”
Paul Jervis, Programme Manager for the Professional Chef Diploma courses at the college, said: “This was an amazing team effort, involving a lot of people. The students were fantastic and, as the people at No. 10 told me afterwards, were real ambassadors for the college.
“Supporting them was a big team of staff and students back at our Victoria Centre, who devised, prepared and created the dishes. A big thanks to Norman Fu and his students who prepared the savoury canapés, and to Sue Yeates and her students, who did the sweet ones. I’d also like to thank everyone who held the fort back at the college, while their colleagues worked at the event.
“Our location in the heart of London and our fantastic contacts in the industry, mean that we can offer our students a host of amazing career development opportunities – not just working at big events, but also doing work placements in Michelin-starred kitchens and the opportunity to work in the college’s own high-quality public restaurants, which are rated in the top 120 of London’s 19,000 restaurants on TripAdvisor. These opportunities are one of the things that sets us apart from other culinary schools and catering colleges.”
