Lecturer passes on tips from top chefs

YOUNG cooks are getting a masterclass in the secrets of top chefs after a North Yorkshire lecturer headed south over the summer break to work with Heston Blumenthal and Alain and Michel Roux.

Selby College Hospitality and Catering Tutor Adrian Dawes had already had a taste of what it was like to work with the best in the business, having spent the previous summer with Michelin Chef Andrew Pern at The Star Inn, Harome.

This summer he was back in chef whites again in two out of just four UK restaurants that have achieved the height of food and service perfection to gain three Michelin stars.

He joined the team of The Fat Duck with Heston Blumenthal and The Waterside Inn with Alain and Michel Roux, both in the small picturesque village of Bray in Royal Berkshire.

It is incredibly difficult to gain this sort of experience in a top restaurant, Mr Dawes explained.

He said: "For a place like The Waterside Inn or The Fat Duck to let you even prepare food is a bit of a gamble as a Michelin inspector could walk in at any moment and if the quality of the food is not up to standard the restaurant's Michelin status could suffer as a result."

That is why Adrian's experience is even more crucial to his students, who are already executing the new techniques he mastered over the summer to prepare perfect Julienne vegetables (fine matchsticks) for use in the Selby College restaurant.