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Now that we are approaching the final furlong of our six month course it is interesting both to look back at what has happened so far, and how people are reacting to the current pressure we are being put under.
Personally, I now feel quite calm and confident about the rest of the course, including the "diploma lunch" which is the spotlight event, and which for me is in a week and a half's time (Monday 8th June). I've now cooked all the elements of the lunch, although not all at the same time. There's a few adjustments to make, but basically I have no qualms about my ability to cook it, just the odd concern about timings, presentation and decorations (no, I'm not doing a flower arrangement, just nipping down to Tesco's for a bunch of carnations). Looking at the wider picture, I'm not sure when I gained the "kitchen confidence" but I really do feel like I could try to cook anything now, whereas thinking back to the poached egg and hollandaise débacle I wonder just how my confidence levels managed to drop so low. I'm also on top of all the other work: wine course, business plan, journalism element, portfolio of work and so on.
Photo below: mini lamb koftas, with a mint and yoghurt raita ( I just had to get the Indian element in somewhere!). If you twirl them round between your fingers you can almost imagine they are as good as a doner kebab after 6 pints.
However, very few people feel the way I do! Most of the students are feeling under a lot of strain, are way behind with everything, have developed a sudden inability to plan, organise and probably even dress themselves. Yesterday we did presentations on a foodstuff of our choice ( I did salt), and Sam got so worked up she was unable to deliver hers. Livvy has been ill (stressed) on and off for a few weeks, and has today flown back to Hong Kong for a week with her parents. Kate, as you know by now, is doo-lally anyway, but despite arriving early this morning to work on her diploma lunch dishes following a heart to heart with yours truly last night, spent the first hour and a half making poached eggs (how is that possible?). Various people are walking round with a permanently glazed look in their eyes. Ian had to come in and give us all a pep talk to us all yesterday, and Lizzie must have been told to boost us up because she was nice as pie to everyone today, which I found slightly worrying.
So basically those people who thought they were coming on a nice relaxing 6 month break have had a nasty shock. The school is deadly serious about the worthiness of the diploma they hand out at the end: it is not just a piece of paper that everyone gets - it needs to be earned.
Photo above: today's efforts were my diploma lunch canapés. Courgette candles, filled with roasted artichoke, roasted tomato and cream cheese
Personally, I now feel quite calm and confident about the rest of the course, including the "diploma lunch" which is the spotlight event, and which for me is in a week and a half's time (Monday 8th June). I've now cooked all the elements of the lunch, although not all at the same time. There's a few adjustments to make, but basically I have no qualms about my ability to cook it, just the odd concern about timings, presentation and decorations (no, I'm not doing a flower arrangement, just nipping down to Tesco's for a bunch of carnations). Looking at the wider picture, I'm not sure when I gained the "kitchen confidence" but I really do feel like I could try to cook anything now, whereas thinking back to the poached egg and hollandaise débacle I wonder just how my confidence levels managed to drop so low. I'm also on top of all the other work: wine course, business plan, journalism element, portfolio of work and so on.
Photo below: mini lamb koftas, with a mint and yoghurt raita ( I just had to get the Indian element in somewhere!). If you twirl them round between your fingers you can almost imagine they are as good as a doner kebab after 6 pints.
However, very few people feel the way I do! Most of the students are feeling under a lot of strain, are way behind with everything, have developed a sudden inability to plan, organise and probably even dress themselves. Yesterday we did presentations on a foodstuff of our choice ( I did salt), and Sam got so worked up she was unable to deliver hers. Livvy has been ill (stressed) on and off for a few weeks, and has today flown back to Hong Kong for a week with her parents. Kate, as you know by now, is doo-lally anyway, but despite arriving early this morning to work on her diploma lunch dishes following a heart to heart with yours truly last night, spent the first hour and a half making poached eggs (how is that possible?). Various people are walking round with a permanently glazed look in their eyes. Ian had to come in and give us all a pep talk to us all yesterday, and Lizzie must have been told to boost us up because she was nice as pie to everyone today, which I found slightly worrying.Photo below: smoked salmon and prawn pastries, with a cannellini bean and yellow pepper filling
So basically those people who thought they were coming on a nice relaxing 6 month break have had a nasty shock. The school is deadly serious about the worthiness of the diploma they hand out at the end: it is not just a piece of paper that everyone gets - it needs to be earned.
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