College brings picnic power to Forbury Gardens

READING College students cooked some tasty treat at Reading Town meal last Saturday.

Individuals attended a special picnic in Forbury Gardens between noon and 4pm as the professional culinary arts pupils made a twocourse meal.

The Level One students used locally-donated fruit and vegetables to create the dishes, which were given away for free on the day.

The main course was a vegetable ragù served with potatoes and salad, a rosemary focaccia and apple and pear crumble for dessert.

Student Shyla Shaw had never taken part in anything like this before.

“It’s helped me to learn how to work as a kitchen and prepare big bulk meals, communicate with each other and taught me to speak up when you need something,” she said.

They have been learning about sustainability since the start of term, from low carbon food production to animal welfare.

Public services students at the college on King’s Road helped with the set-up and marshalling on the day.

Naomi Coker, Intern, Reading Town Meal, thanked the volunteers for their help on the day.

“The Reading College students had such an enormous impact on the day, with their fingers in a lot of pies,” Ms Coker said.

“The professional culinary arts students helped both with the preparation and serving of the meal, as well as the Public Service students helping with various aspects of the event, including setting up, collecting donations, and packing away at the end.

“It went incredibly well, with over 1,000 attendees and plenty of delicious food and we also raised a lot for next year.”