Catering students compete in street food challenge

Professional Cookery students have been expanding their knowledge of street food by competing against each other to create unique dishes judged by one of the North East’s top chefs.

Students were put into groups and tasked with exploring popular street food, conducting market research and surveys to help design their menus with each having its own theme and unique selling points.

The dishes were then critiqued by guest chef Dan Robertson, who also passed on his expertise and knowledge during a masterclass, offering students the chance to learn the standards required to succeed in the industry.

Dan, whose impressive resume includes working as Head Chef at Hotel Indigo in Durham, said: “It was fantastic working with the students, and I hope they took something away from it. I’m looking forward to working with Northumberland College again in the future.”

By focusing on street food – ready-to-eat dishes sold by vendors in public spaces such as markets and fairs – the competition also developed students’ entrepreneurial skills.

Student James Middleton added: “I really enjoyed this project as I was able to d

evelop my own product which helped me develop my creativity.”

Emma Iley, Quality, Teaching, Learning & Assessment Manager, said: “It was fantastic to speak to the students and hear the feedback from the guest speaker.”