Catering students welcome visit from Epsom butcher

Catering students enjoyed a visit from an Epsom butcher on Friday (November 5) to support one of the units on the course.

Ben Maidment, the founder and owner of Ben’s Butchery on Upper High Street, gave a demonstration to the Level 2 Professional Cookery students, who are currently learning about meat and offal.

He brought in a whole lamb carcass and showed the students how to divide it into sections to minimise wastage, before boning and stuffing a breast of lamb and helping the students as they did the same.

Ben explained how professional butchers plan their work, and how they recommend different cuts of meat to their customers.

He also spoke about his own career journey from apprentice to business owner, as well as animal welfare standards, the environmental impact of food miles, and responsible business ownership.

“The students really enjoyed Ben’s visit, and we’re really grateful to him for giving up his time,” said course leader Karin Freestone.

“We work hard to organise trips and visits for the students, because we know our students learn so much from specialists which they can then apply to the rest of their qualification.

“We also know that meeting different professionals helps the students to think about their own career paths and to make informed choices about what working in different specialisms is like.”

Ben started training as an apprentice butcher aged 20. After two years he took over a butchery counter at a farm shop, and he set up Ben’s Butchery in 2016.

He has been supplying meat to Nescot’s Catering students for several years, and said he prides himself on his business ethics, ensuring that the meat he sells is locally-sourced, free range and outdoor reared.

Nescot offers qualifications in Catering at Level 1 and Level 2. For more information click here.