HEATHFIELD COMMUNITY SCHOOL MASTER CHEF 2019/20

On Thursday 26th September 13 budding chefs took part in the first round of the FutureChef competition in school. The brief was to provide a one course balanced meal for two people costing no more than £5.00. The competition was extremely high with students showing off their catering skills and techniques from pastry and sauce making to knife handling skills and presentation.

Summer won the school heat by making a ‘vegetarian Burmese eggplant curry served with black rice and a bamboo and lemongrass tea.’ The flavours were amazing. This meant she could take part in the local heat which was held at Bridgwater and Taunton College in the Quantock restaurant kitchens on Wednesday 8th January. For this she had to make a main and a dessert for two costing no more than £7.00.

Summer did very well competing against 8 other students from local schools. Unfortunately although she did not win this heat the judging chefs were all in agreement that her main course was the tastiest of the competition.

Summer enjoyed the experience and is keen to have another go next year.

This competition is run every year for year 9 and 10 students at Heathfield so if you feel as though you would also like to have a go look out for the advertisements early in September 2020.

FUTURE CHEF SEMI FINALS (NATIONAL COMPETITION)

On Tuesday 5th February Joshua Chedzoy-Wilkins headed to Petroc College in Tiverton for the semi-finals of the FutureChef competition. He was competing against 9 other young people aged between 12 and 16 years from across the Southwest. All the competitors were given a chef’s jacket and apron with their names embroidered on plus a chef’s hat. They all looked very professional as they spent 90 minutes preparing, cooking and presenting their two dishes in a professional style kitchen. The standard of food was incredibly high and although Joshua didn’t win this heat the feedback from the judges, who were top chefs from around the southwest including the head chef from the Eden Project, was very positive. They said his curry has a very authentic Thai flavour , that the rice was cooked to perfection and his chocolate fondant could not be faulted from a presentation point of view or taste and gooiness.

Well done Joshua for getting this far and for remaining so calm in a potentially stressful situation.

This competition will be run again in September for year 9 students so if you are an enthusiastic chef then keep an eye out for the promotion.

Heathfield pupils learn about meat prep at farm shop

SIXTY SCHOOLCHILDREN from Taunton visited a butchery at a farm shop in the area recently (September, 2019) to find out all about how meat is prepared in to cuts for consumption.

Trevor Stark, Butcher at Rumwell Farm Shop, explained to the Year 10 pupils from Heathfield Community how meat products become what we see and buy from a shop.

Debs Smith, Head of Food at Heathfield Community School in Monkton Heathfield, said: “As part of the Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE, pupils need to learn the routes of food and one of the topics is how meat products become what we see on our farm shop and supermarket shelves.

“It’s fantastic that Trevor and the butchery team at the farm shop were happy to help us and show this visually to our pupils. Trevor was able to show the youngsters a range of skills and how to handle meat with care.

“The students found the visit to the farm shop greatly beneficial and it was fantastic that they were able to learn from the experts. It was great that the staff members were more than happy to share their knowledge with us.”

Heathfield Community School made three trips to the farm shop with pupils on September 16, 19 and 23. Trevor spoke to the pupils for 30 minutes and gave various demos on meat cuts.

Anne Mitchell, Co-owner of the farm shop, which is located on the A38 between Taunton and Wellington, said: “We feel it’s vital to help educate future generations on where meat actually comes from and the process of how it is prepared.

“Our family farm, which covers 600 acres, is only four miles from our farm shop. We have Aberdeen Angus beef cattle and pigs on the farm so all the beef and free-range pork we sell from the butchery is from our farm. Trevor could really explain to the pupils how the meat goes from the field to the plate.

“We were more than happy to talk to the pupils and answer any questions they had during their visits. We’re glad the students found the time with us interesting and beneficial to their studies.”

Rumwell Farm Shop is an independent, family-run, award-winning business owned by the Mitchell family. It was originally a potato store, when David and Anne Mitchell began selling their potatoes and free-range eggs at the gate. Due to customer demand, the range of products soon increased and the farm shop grew into the place it is today. David and Anne’s sons, James and Jack, are now also involved in the business.

Rumwell Farm Shop has a traditional butchery counter selling free range pork and Aberdeen Angus beef reared just four miles away on the family farm. There is also a delicatessen, bakery, jam kitchen and food hall.

The jam kitchen produces a range of 50 products including jams, chutneys and marmalades all made using fruit and vegetables from the shop.

Home grown potatoes are also still available as well as everything from fruit, vegetables and groceries to plants, flowers, gifts and cards.

For more information, please call Rumwell Farm Shop, which is located in Rumwell between Taunton and Wellington, on 01823 461599, visit www.rumwellfarmshop.com, follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rumwellfarmshop or log on to www.facebook.com/Rumwellfarmshop.