Lecturer passes on tips from top chefs

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.

Mr Dawes added: "I remember being very nervous and thinking could I really cook at this level, with some of the best chefs in the world, but it gave me a real confidence boost to know that I had been 'accepted' as part of world-class team.

"Better still was the fact that during my time at The Waterside Inn, I had cooked for Derek Brown, the Head of Michelin UK and my food had met with his approval."

The Selby College Training Restaurant is open to the public every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday lunch times. For more information call 01757 211008 or 01757 211007.