Leicester College is hosting its first ever Junior Chef Academy in partnership with Compass Group UK & Ireland, the UK’s largest food service provider, and under the guidance of chefs from the College, Leicester City Football Club and the Leicester Tigers.

The Junior Chef Academy is a 10-week-long programme which began earlier this month when 17 students from eight different schools were given an induction that covered food safety, knife safety and kitchen hazards, along with learning knife skills and how to make soup.

The cookery course is a community programme aimed at 14-16 year olds to teach them how to cook and prepare meals, whilst also equipping them with life skills. The programme also encourages healthy eating and cooking a meal on a budget, with ingredients that most of us have at home. Each week, for the duration of the programme, the students will learn to prepare breads and pizza, pasta dishes and sauces, vegetables and chicken, salads and healthy meals, among other topics.

As well as supporting with culinary expertise, Compass Group UK & Ireland has sponsored the uniforms for all the students who are taking part in the programme.

Tina Jivraj, Leicester College’s Business Development and Key Account Manager said: “The Junior Chef Academy is an amazing opportunity for Leicester College as we get to promote our programmes and strengthen the future pipeline for our full-time courses and apprenticeships.

“The cookery school operates at the highest levels of training and students are able to learn their craft from skilled tutors. We aim to help shape Leicester’s culinary landscape by championing aspiring chefs who work to the highest standards, sharing professionally gained, transferable skills to the wider UK hospitality and catering industry.”

During the tenth and final week of the programme, the College will hold a graduation ceremony where the students will design their own menus and cook the dishes for their parents and guardians. This will be followed by an award ceremony where Verity Hancock, the Principal and Chief Executive of Leicester College, will present the students with their certificates and prizes. She will be accompanied by Jonathan Foot, Head of Apprenticeships and Early Careers at Compass Group UK & Ireland.

Leicester College offers a wide range of hospitality and catering courses at various levels including diplomas in professional cookery, bakery and patisserie, as well as patisserie and confectionery, amongst other courses. These courses are designed to train both novice cooks and aspiring chefs in a broad range of artisan skills and cuisines. Further details on Leicester College’s hospitality and catering courses can be found here.