Catering students learn to fillet fish

Catering students have been learning how to filet fish ahead of their next assessment.

Students on the Level 1 Introduction to Professional Cookery Diploma deboned sardines in their lesson on Tuesday (February 19) and grilled them with chilli, garlic and lemon oil.

Course leader Karin Freestone said the group had learnt a range of new technical skills, including filleting and butterflying the fish, and using the salamander grill.

“We’re training our students to be professional chefs, so it’s vital that they learn the right techniques for preparing meat, fish and vegetables,” she said.

“Lessons like this help the students learn how all the different elements of cooking, such as how a fish is prepared and cooked, combine in a professional environment to create the final dish.”

Student Ismail Ford, who studied at Thomas More in Purley before joining Nescot, said his new skills would be useful at his work placement at a restaurant in Westminster on Friday nights.

“I’m really enjoying the course,” he added. “You’re treated like a professional – you have to have the right uniform, and the right equipment, and the facilities we cook in are amazing.

“We’ve learnt a lot about hygiene, too, like which chopping boards to use for which ingredients, and how to safely reheat food we’ve prepared earlier.”

Student Luke Danablan, who took GCSEs at Malden Oaks before joining Nescot, is aiming to do the Level 2 Professional Cookery course next year and hopes to become a chef.

“We have really professional kitchens, like our own food preparation area and our own range and grill,” he added.

“The teachers are always telling us about what we’ll need to be doing in the industry, like when we’re catering for big numbers and have to prepare in advance, so I like the focus on jobs and the future.”

The students’ assessment is on February 28. They will need to prepare a full menu, with dishes including a meat-based stew, braised vegetables and a grilled fish dish.

Nescot offers full-time Catering courses at Levels 1 and 2, as well as apprenticeships at Levels 2 and 3.