London, The city that never sleeps

When I first came to London I knew that I would be working night shifts, I wasn't exactly sure what this would entail but I knew it's would only be for a month, at this stage I was just happy to finally have placement sorted. So when I started to work in the Beaumont, I found out that I would be working with viennoiserie,

 made in house
 everyday

so this included: croissants, pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins and so much more. This type of work was never something I saw myself doing, but the more time I spent working, the more I started to love this type of work. It's a very specific process.

 We make the same products give or take, every day. It is something that you think would become boring or tedious, however it actually allows you to master the craft. From making sure you can mix the dough, to your turns being all straight
and in line, which you can see from the picture makes the layers look more defined, that your speed is picking up each time you do it, to then moving onto the machine that you need to roll all your pastry on,then, of course the shaping of the viennoiserie and, to finally the baking

process and when it gets to the point of baking. Everything that I was taught from the beginning all started to make complete sense to me, for example, Why your turns have to be even and why it is important for the dough to sit and rest for as long as it does. Working in the Beaumont Hotel has given me an experience that I can say that I am fortunate enough to receive and will never forget.

-Hope Cuddihy