Five apprentices take on toughest challenge
When five young apprentices were asked to design and execute a three-course dinner at the stunning Kennels at Goodwood everyone held their breath. Would it be chaos in the kitchen, panic over the plates? Sussex World Editor In Chief Gary Shipton and colleague Mark Dunford joined the diners to find out just how the youngsters coped as part of National Apprenticeship Week.
If Lord Sugar, who hosts the BBC’S iconic The Apprentice, had been amongst the diners I wouldn’t mind betting the only words he would have been saying at the end of the meal was ‘You’re hired.’
Just like the tasks that the TV contestants have to perform, this assignment was a really challenging gig for these culinary hopefuls. But the judges they had to impress were the toughest of them all – paying guests, family members, Goodwood’s top management, including CEO Chris ‘Woody’ Woodgate, and the Chichester Observer.
That the five sailed through the evening without a single discernible blunder was a huge credit to them, those who have helped them on their journey, and The Kennels’ Head Chef, Dan Turner, who kept a watchful eye on them throughout.
When I visited the kitchen at the start of the evening it was extraordinarily calm. That didn’t change – although all five admitted to feeling the pressure.
Hayden Diltoer, 22, was head chef for the evening. Asked what it had been like he agreed it had definitely been high pressure. “But from the reactions of everyone it has been a good evening and everyone is happy.”
The other four apprentices were Sion Gillespie, 20, Sam Spooner, 19, Josh Bolton, 18, and Brandon Burley, 18. Sion said: “I’ve absolutely loved it. It’s been an amazing experience that I couldn’t get anywhere else.”
Brandon agreed that the kitchen was very calm. “But that was because everyone had everything prepped. It wasn’t like a TV series with everyone shouting in the kitchen!”
The five took inspiration from the seasonal produce available, with many of the ingredients sourced from Goodwood’s own Home Farm. As a result, the meal featured Southdown lamb faggot, slow cooked pork belly, apple and pear crumble, estate cheese and vegetarian alternatives.
The West Sussex estate is in a unique position to offer unrivalled experiences including behind the scenes access to their world-famous events and exclusive masterclasses run by the talented Head Chefs that work across the estate. As a key employer in the region, Goodwood works closely with a number of educational and training establishments to offer placements across the busy estate, including HIT Hospitality Academy, Chichester College, Portsmouth College, Keits, Yuzu Training and CT Skills.
In 2022 the estate had 17 apprentices working across a number of areas including: greenkeeping, vehicle maintenance, finance, events, maintenance and hospitality. Goodwood is looking to increase that figure to 22 by the end of this year.
Mark Dunford, the official taste tester for Sussex World and the Chichester Observer, gave each course top marks. He described the crumble as ‘fantastic.’ He was not alone in his praise.
Richard and Kim Morgan live locally and were very impressed by the standard of the food.
Kim said: “We have been members of The Kennels for a long time because we live locally, we are just down the road. I saw the event on the list and we thought we would support it. These chefs have to start somewhere and we thought we would give it a go. It was wonderful.
“I was really impressed by the standard. I would not have cared if it had been less impressive but it is a really nice way for them to get used to cooking for people.
“They do look very young, but it just looked so professional when they came out at the end. They really pulled it out of the bag.”
Richard said: “They did an absolutely first class job, it was really, really good food. I was so impressed by them. I loved every course, especially the Lamb Faggot starter. To be honest, it is one of the best meals I have had in a long, long time.”
National Apprenticeship Week aims to raise awareness of the many benefits apprenticeships can offer both individuals and employers. Goodwood’s Entertaining and Hospitality Managing Director, Andrew Coggings was among the diners. He commented: “With such a busy and diverse estate, we have so much to offer young people looking to start a career or retrain, whether that’s in the world of hospitality, events, finance or greenkeeping.
“This evening has been a terrific example of what you can achieve with the right support and mentoring. It’s been great working with HIT Hospitality Training and Chichester College on the development of these young, talented chefs and I look forward to seeing how far they take these skills in future.”
Goodwood’s Culinary Academy has been designed to inspire, nurture and motivate young people into the hospitality industry. Trainees spend time at Goodwood’s in-house butchery, dairy processing and cheese-making facilities, working with organic produce sourced from Goodwood Home Farm. The twoyear programme will equip the young apprentices with in-depth, on the job training in all aspects of food preparation, food production, safety and basic costings, whilst gaining industry-recognised qualifications and professional kitchen experience. Graduates are offered a position within one of the estate restaurants.