News & Info > Capability Bakehouse, Kitchen and Smokery - Lower Sixth Hospitality Project Capability Bakehouse, Kitchen and Smokery - Lower Sixth Hospitality Project This term the Lower Sixth Form Hospitality pupils have been studying the Business Enterprise unit as part of their Level 3 Hospitality BTEC qualification. In previous years, events such as the Cabaret evening were used to enable the pupils to plan menus and publicity. This year we decided to set them the challenge of having a stall at the Friends of Milton Abbey School Summer Fete, the Capability Bakehouse, Kitchen and Smokery. Individually or as teams the pupils were asked to come up with ideas for artisan products to create, package and price. To support the pupils and provide an insight into the world of business we asked Rose Prince to work with the group. Rose is an author and food writer who has been writing and campaigning for good food for over 20 years and writes a column for the Daily Telegraph; she also set up and ran her own business for three years, the Pocket Bakery in 2010. She is the author of 5 cookery books and guides to good shopping. The pupils began by researching a range of different items that they could cook to sell at the Fete. Through a process of elimination they arrived at a wide ranging list of products: sourdough breads, pizza pockets, fudge, parmesan shortbread, peppermint creams, chili jam, macaroons and dog biscuits. Perhaps most challenging was Charlie and Archie’s decision to smoke locally sourced trout from Winterborne Houghton Fish Farm which is run by Hans Hoff. This required careful planning on their part as they had to weave the time to remove pin bones, cure and smoke the trout into their school day. They also had to consider appropriate packaging and devise an attractive label to include both price and information about the ingredients used to cure the trout. Hospitality teacher Elka Charlton worked with the pupils to ensure the stall had a sense of cohesiveness, with all the products linked by the way they were packaged. They decided to use the school colours of black and gold in their labelling; use of brown paper and raffia, baskets and wooden boards also gave an authentic artisan feel to the stall. On the day of the Fete the pupils worked throughout the morning to ensure the stall was ready on time, with all the products arranged in clearly defined areas across the tables. On the previous evening several of the group worked on shaping the sourdough loaves, preparing for the overnight fermentation. The effect was truly impressive and the stall was a great success with many items selling quickly, whilst other products which had been produced in bigger quantities, have continued to sell to school staff in the week following the event. All proceeds from the stall will be donated to Julia’s House and SKRUM, a charity working in Swaziland bringing life changing education to children about HIV/AIDs. The Bill Ainscough Award for Artisan Food Enterprise* will be awarded to the pupil or pupils who showed sustained effort throughout the project as well as a willingness to support others in their endeavours. Bill has over 30 years house building and property experience and has been a Director of a number of public companies. He is also involved in many youth projects, setting up youth clubs in Merseyside and London. Rose Prince said of the venture, “It has been a fascinating experience to work with the Lower Sixth Form, and I think we had an overall outstanding result. The pupils worked hard to produce their different products to a professional standard and with great creativity - any would be commercially viable."