Cooks’ training goes on the menu
School dinner ladies could soon be producing haute cuisine for pupils.
The move follows their day spent working in the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant.
West Lothian Council and The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh are working in partnership to provide school dinner ladies with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from some of Scotland’s top chefs.
Three trainee dinner ladies - Yvonne Clark from Riverside Primary, Debbie Van Hussen from Deans Community High School and Pamela Neill from Our Lady of Lourdes Primary will each spend a day working at The Balmoral this month.
They will learn from some of the country’s finest culinary talent and gain insight into a completely different aspect of the catering industry.
All three currently attend catering college in West Lothian as well as work in the kitchens at local schools.
The catering partnership was formed following a discussion between West Lothian Council’s Catering Manager, Derek O’Neill, Gary Quinn, restaurant director at Number One - the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, and The Balmoral’s executive chef, Jeff Bland.
Chef Bland said he was happy to share his knowledge with the team.
He added: “At The Balmoral we’re passionate about championing Scottish food and drink and serving it in new and innovative ways so we were delighted with the chance to open our kitchen and share our knowledge with Yvonne, Debbie and Pamela.
“We’re also passionate about fostering local talent so our chefs were keen to spend time sharing best practice and technique with them on a one-to-one basis in the hope that they can take some new ideas back to their own kitchens.”
West Lothian Council’s Derek O’Neilll added the authority is keen to ensure catering staff have the chance to broaden their experience.
He said: “This will be a fantastic opportunity for our catering staff who have never experienced an environment such as The Balmoral.
“There is an obvious difference between school kitchens and those at The Balmoral but we feel that our catering staff will learn a great deal from this experience.
“Chef Bland was very encouraged and supportive of the idea, and Yvonne, Debbie, and Pamela are really looking forward to their day at The Balmoral.”
Derk O’Neill added: “We think this is a first for both the council and The Balmoral and our team are very excited to have this opportunity to learn from and experience working in one of the best hotels in the country.
“We are grateful to Chef Bland and his team for their support.
“Our school catering staff deliver over 13,500 school meals each day and we are very proud of our work but this opportunity is a unique learning experience for us.”
And the council say they are now looking at the opportunity for Chef Bland’s staff to visit West Lothian’s school kitchens.
Derek O’Neill said: “We will be looking to build the partnership where all interested parties will have the chance to attend in future and are also in discussion with Chef Bland over the possibility of some of his team travelling in the opposite direction to work in one of our school kitchens.
“This would enable his staff to understand the parameters we are required to work within to provide a healthy and balanced diet to our school children.”
This will be a fantastic opportunity for our catering staff