On Monday 31 August, staff walked into Prescott Hall at recess for their weekly morning tea greeted by a class of Year 11 Hospitality boys in chef hats and white uniforms. Some looked stressed, others looked anxious, but all wore big smiles on their faces having prepared a glorious spread of finger-licking good canapes that included tasty Sausage Rolls, sticky chicken wings, luscious chocolate coated strawberries, a great selection of sandwiches, marinated shoulder of lamb with Tzatziki and pita bread, and gooey caramel slices.

One of the chefs, Jack Gilbert (11/LE) said, “the boys and I worked very hard to prepare all the food within a certain number of hours. We were under quite a lot of pressure to prepare all the meals on time and we had to work effectively as a team. There were many different meals to create so everyone had to implement their collective knowledge and experience in order to maximise productivity and the quality of the meals.”

The boys’ teacher Ms Brodie Richards had sacrificed her Sunday and spent all morning with the boys in the kitchen to make sure that the food was ready by 10:20 AM that morning. Fellow classmate Cameron Tomas (11/LE) said he found the whole experience very invigorating and challenging and even discovered a hidden talent for cleaning plates and cutlery. “Despite a few errors in the kitchen we managed to soldier through all of what we needed to do. I was tasked with the cleaning of the plates, cutlery, utensils and equipment,” he said. “I’m practically the best at it!”

Other than his cleaning duties, Cameron was also responsible for making the melt-in-your-mouth Caramel Slices. He said, “I discovered I have a hidden skill for sweet foods, which was proven by the empty platter at the end of the Morning Tea.”

Overall, the event was hugely rewarding for both the boys and needless to say, the staff. Many of the boys were happy to discuss their experience with staff as they were applauded for their hard work and good effort. Cameron summed up the experience saying that it was particularly rewarding to feed the staff who teach him every day.