Charlotte Carpenter, Level 3 Professional Cookery student at Merton, got the opportunity to run the kitchen as Taste Restaurant welcomed guests last month. As part of her Hospitality & Catering qualification, she created her own menu and managed the kitchen for a dinner service.
The three-course menu created by Charlotte included:
- Butternut squash soup, chilli, creme fraiche
- Spinach, cheese filo pies
- Crispy duck salad
- Beef wellington, roasted vegetables, red wine jus
- Sauteed breast of chicken, pomme puree, sprouting broccoli wild mushroom sauce
- Gnocchi piemontaise, roasted tomato sauce, mozarella, basil
- Tuile basket, vanilla bean ice cream, glazed fruits
- Trio chocolate marquise
- Raspberry souffle
Charlotte said: "When I created the menu, I thought about what interested me, what I needed more practice on. It's good to try new things but also useful to make things we've done before, such as pastry. All new experiences are valuable and it's been great to manage the kitchen for the first time."
She also spoke aboout how the pandemic affected her studies: "The tutors were fantastic in inspiring us to finish our assignments. The demonstrations they ran were so important in helping us to practice our own dishes. Since we've been back at College, we've been working full on days in the kitchen, but we are all so glad to be here again!"
As well as committing to her studies, Charlotte also works in at Epsom College, making desserts at events. Throughout her childhood, her mum always made cakes and this inspired Charlotte's love for baking. Once she completes her course this summer, she plans to take a Patisserie course to develop her pastry skills.
