# Goodbye Team Slieve!

Hi there, its April from the slieve Donard for the last time, 

A lot has happened since my last blog! I am happy to say that I got the experience being a pastry chef. I got to experience doing large numbers for buffets and weddings and designing lots of new dishes such as the chocolate moose that u can see here. Pastry was amazing, it was very technical, I learned that having patients goes a long way to. As of every other section, pastry had its own sequence of what to do first when you start your shift. For example, when I was working 8 – 4 shifts in pastry I would start of my shift by getting afternoon tea sheets, doing up cupcake boxes, cutting traybakes for the bar, and then preparing and plating afternoon teas.

 

As it is coming close to finishing my work placement I went out for dinner with friends, after dinner we went to Quinn’s for a few drinks and dance.  It was sad to think that all my friends that I have seen everyday for the last 6 months won’t be around as much, but they were excited to see where I ended up next. The Slieve Donard has an honourable team, a team who welcomed me, who made me feel comfortable, a team who praised me, a team who were friendly, and most importantly a team who made me apart of their family.

                                           

         

Other days leading to finishing, we did other fun activities when not working, like we went to the amusement park, went to the best ice cream shop in town, long walks along the promenade, and eat more food.

Our last day, it was emotional I was sad that I was leaving an amazing team and close friends, but I was also happy to get back home and start my new adventure. Eimear and I put together a chocolate hamper for team Slieve as a small thank you for everything they did for us. We also got Hazel (head chef) bouquet of flowers to show that she meant a lot to us and not just as a chef but as a friend and a mentor. Hazel seen good in me and pushed me always to do better.

A note for students coming on placement, I know that you won’t receive an Erasmus grant if you were to go to the Slieve Donard, but I am telling you, it is a great place to learn, you get to be apart of an amazing team who will guide you and help you expand on your skills. If you decided to go to the Slieve Donard I can guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.

I want to finish by saying I had an unforgettable work experience at the Slieve Donard Hotel. All the new skills that I learned will be with me forever and I can’t wait to share them with others. Thank you, team Slieve. I will be back.

April Hanrahan