2 months in Ecully, France

Hello its Sarah again but this time I'm in France, specifically Ecully! This is for the study portion of my placement and i am studying in Institut Paul Bocuse. I sadly have nothing greatly interesting to report, being busy already with assignments. However I have met so many interesting people who are also in the Erasmus program from all over the world, from Indonesia, Malta, Italy, Vietnam, China, Switzerland, Mexico and America. Having such a wide range of cultures is something I didn’t expect as much, they have all thought me so much already, about ingredients I haven’t heard of, cooking methods and traditions.

I went on a little trip starting in Lyon, eating at different restaurants and mainly looking at the French architecture . Food in Lyon is very diverse yet still paying tribute to traditional French dishes. Next, I went to Paris obviously, being in Paris I wanted to embrace my sweet tooth trying all the different pastries and chocolates. Also having amazing architecture similar to Lyon but more glamourous. I had a great time in Paris but it is hugely crowed, there is people everywhere so I don’t think I will be returning anytime soon!

I’m having a great time in France, having settled in and learning a little French from those around meI'm doing much better than how things started. Next post will be more eventful I have a few things planned  for March!

Thanks for reading, Sarah :)

My Experience In Portugal

 

This is Panos again writing  from Portimão Portugal. My experience in the country so far has been amazing. Since I was studying in Barcelona during the previous semester, I decided to fly straight to Portugal a few days before the beginning of my work placement in Portimão and explore the country´s capital city Lisbon. This is my first-time visiting Portugal and I wasn´t sure what to expect, but Lisbon definitely exceeded my expectations. The city has a population of half a million people and is full of life all year round. It is a quite popular city and attracts a lot of tourists, even in quiet months like January and February. Because the city relies on tourism, the level of English fluency is very good and people are very open and friendly. There are many points of interest to visit such as the earthquake museum, the coach museum, the statue of Christ, the tower of Belem and monasteries. Portugal is the place that gave birth to the famous dessert Pastel De Nata. A delicious puff pastry-based baked custard that it is found in most bakeries and has many different variations. Naturally, that was the very first thing I tried on my first day out.

Pastel de nata

 Since my place of work is in Portimão, I had to take the bus there. It was a three-and-a-half-hour trip but it gave me the opportunity to observe the landscape of Portugal so I enjoyed it a lot. Portimão is a small city that is found in the Algarve region. It has a population of 55.000 people but according to the people I have spoken to, that number exceeds 250.000 people during the tourist season. Because the city has to rely on tourism, there are plenty of restaurants, bars and travel agencies in the city. Most of them hibernating and waiting for the tourist season to begin. My first week at Numa restaurant was very interesting. I spent a lot of time observing what my senior chefs are doing and learning about the menu and the ethos of the restaurant. My first real day at work was on Valentines-day where I was responsible for the starters and snacks during service. We were fully-booked and we were very busy but we worked well and didn´t feel under pressure. I really enjoyed it and I am I can´t wait for more.

                                                                Scallop tartar (lime, orange, avocado)

                                                                Melosa pudding (cinnamon, tangerine, basil) 

Until the next time….

Induction trip to Niagara Falls

As part of the international exchange student orientation, we went on a trip to Niagara falls on January 28^th with the Humber international office’s co-ordinating team. We left our residence at 8am and arrived at Niagara Falls Table rock which is a superb viewing point of the falls. The views were spectacular. We then went to the Sheraton where we ate lunch. The whole trip was complimentary of the college, and it allowed all of the International exchange students to have the chance to get to know each other better, and of course get to see some of Canada’s most famous spots, without the financial burden of trying to get there by ourselves. After lunch we were given a period of free time from 12.30pm to 3.30pm.

We took the free time opportunity to see what Niagara had to offer. I took the opportunity to taste some of the which Niagara is famous for, whereby they make wine from frozen grapes. There are over 120 independent wineries in Niagara, many of which make Riesling ice wine. I also got to see the many casinos that are in Niagara. I took the opportunity during the free time period to meet a friend of mine who I worked with at Camp Wayne for Boys in the Summer of 2022 as he is studying at the University of Niagara. Overall it was a great day and we were back at our residence at 5:45pm.

While I was at the Falls I learned many interesting facts about it. For example, it is over twelve thousand years old and is a result of glaciation. The region of Niagara is home to some 330,000 people. The Falls can be accessed from both the United States and Canada. The Falls are regarded as one of the World’s most beautiful attractions, and I certainly enjoyed seeing them.

Build Up to Christmas in Edinburgh

 With Christmas fast approaching, Edinburgh’s famous Christmas markets were beginning to take shape in early December. My last day of work was Sunday 4th December and I allowed myself an extra week in Edinburgh to explore the Christmas markets and what they had to offer. After the clocks went back its gets dark here very early, and right now the sun sets around 4 o clock every day, meaning the Christmas lights are at full blast before dinnertime. The markets were fun to look around, definitely puts Winterval to shame anyway, but the minus 4 degrees temperature wasn’t exactly ideal. After taking a ride on the big wheel and trying to get some warmth from a mulled wine, I called it a day before I froze to death.

The weekend after I came back to Edinburgh from my weekend at home, my friends came over to visit. It was lovely to be able to show them around the city and of course, bring them to a few pubs. We took a walk through Old Town and took lots of pictures, we fit right in with all the tourists that’s for sure. One of the nights I brought them to an arcade bar and we played mini golf and bowling, it got very competitive but of course I won, I couldn’t have them show me up in my new stomping grounds. We found some lovely spots for breakfast and coffee in the morning and I took them to BABA, where I work, for dinner. We were spoiled by everyone in the restaurant and got lots of freebies, we almost had to be rolled out after dinner. It was a very nice feeling for me to be able to show off the restaurant and display the high level of quality food I was capable of making in my new workplace, they were all blown away. Unfortunately for the lads, when they arrived home they all came down with a dose of COVID bar one, and myself thank god. Not a great end to their little holiday but at least they got it after and not before!!!!!!

My last day few days of work in BABA were quite emotional to say the least, its amazing how quickly bonds and friendships are formed in such a big workplace. I got everyone in work to sign a chef jacket for me before my final day and there were some lovely messages on it, I wish I could I share a picture of it but theres a few bits on it that might not look so great on a college blog……….

My dad flew over to spend my last weekend in Edinburgh with me and I’m due to fly back with him during the week. I also took him into work for my final meal there and again, we were spoiled rotten. I really cant speak highly enough of the team in BABA, it was an absolute joy to work there from start to finish and I’ve made friends I know I’ll have for life. 

This definitely isn’t the end of my story in Edinburgh, 

Until next time………. James

Halfway Point – Heading Home for the Weekend

 As I reached the halfway point of my work placement, I was given the weekend off so I could go home to Ireland for the weekend and catch up with everyone. The small break from work gave me a lot of time to look back and reflect on the first half of my placement.

At this point, I feel very comfortable in my new workplace, and I’m fully settled in. I have developed a good relationship with my colleagues and superiors, and I feel as though I am part of team. As my skills develop and I become more and more familiar with the different sections of the kitchen, I am learning how to properly take responsibility for my section and for the work I carry out and there is a lot of trust developing within the team. I’m making friends with other staff members here which is making the settling in process much much smoother.

Life in Edinburgh isn’t too dissimilar to life in Ireland. It's so much easier to get around over here, public transport is far more regular and reliable and there is always a way to get exactly where you need to go. The thing that I have been struggling most with is the language barrier though, it turns out that Scotland’s interpretation of the English language is a little different to ours. I’m finding it harder to understand the Scots than I am with any other nationality in work, but it does make for some funny opportunities to pick up some new slang, I’m learning a wee bit already……..

The more time I spend exploring the city here, the more I fall in love with it. I really cant speak highly enough of my experience here so far. Everything is accessible and there is always something new to see. New Town offers everything you need to live a modern city lifestyle, but just a short walk over the bridge and you arrive in Old Town, which honestly looks like something out of a Harry Potter movie. It feels like having two different cities at your fingertips and provides so many points of interest to ensure you never get bored.

Once I arrived back in Ireland for the weekend, I got the bus from Dublin airport back down to Waterford, I was very excited to see everyone. Naturally, the most inventive thing me and my friends could come up with was to go for a pint on the Saturday night. It was lovely to see everyone but being home made me think about how little things change when you wait for things instead of taking initiative yourself. It was a gentle reminder to myself to keep giving 100% in work and to look forward to the opportunities that this chosen career path will present me with in years to come, I can't wait to continue my journey in Edinburgh and use it as a stepping stone to start my globetrotting career.

Until next time,

James

My First Week in Edinburgh

Greetings from Edinburgh. James here.

I first arrived in Edinburgh on the 26^th August and The Kimpton Hotel where I would be working were nice enough to give me a free stay in house to help me get settled in to my new environment. I met one of the hotel managers Chris upon arrival and had a chat with him about the hotel and the city, he made me feel at home with them but unfortunately, he is from Dublin so we naturally had a GAA debate before I was shown to my room. I dropped my bags into my room and headed out to explore my new surroundings.

I took a walk up Princes St, which is the main street through Edinburgh New Town, and was blown away by the atmosphere and architecture surrounding me. There was a big city buzz to the place but it still felt safe and homely, I knew I wasn’t going to have any problems settling in. I found a lovely secret garden to stop in and have lunch so I could take it all in. The Fringe festival was still in full swing when I arrived, so the streets were lined with performers and of course, bagpipes. I sat and listened to the musicians as I had my lunch, and I instantly knew I was going to feel at home here.

Following my weekend in the hotel, it was time to move into my apartment. I was quite nervous as this would be my first time living away from home, but I was also very excited at the thought of having my own space and being independent. I unpacked my bags and introduced myself to my new roommates who were very welcoming and helped me to settle in. The apartment is only a 20-minute bus from the city, so it is very accessible, and the area has very safe feel to it.

After having a day or two in my apartment to find my feet, it was time to start work. I spent my first week working the breakfast shift so I could meet everyone and familiarise myself with the hotel and how it operates before moving into the restaurant the following week. It was quite overwhelming to see the large scale at which they work at having only worked in smaller restaurants before but I was excited to be experiencing something new. The head chef was very welcoming and taught me all the basics so my transition into the restaurant  would be as smooth as possible. The restaurant is called BABA and specialise in Lebanese/Middle eastern Cuisine, I love this kind of food and have always had an interest in the cuisine so this was a very exciting prospect for me. 

Exciting times are ahead, more soon.

All the best, James

Build up to Christmas - Michelin Star style

It has been incredibly busy for the last few weeks, badly short staffed so having some longer shifts again with a few extra shifts being picked up, just to make sure everything is up to standard. The time here went too fast have my last day on Sunday and don’t know what I’m going to do with myself after living the chef life. The build up to Christmas started a few weeks ago, just going through different menu ideas and making sure recipes work, it’s gotten a lot busier in Marlow, Christmas parties from other business’ are happening every night now and we can definitely feel it in work.

Had BBC come in to film us cook so everyone in the kitchen was on their best behaviour, no shouting or laughing just work being done, it was a great day though, the place had a good buzz and the camera crew were very understanding of the busy kitchen. The documentary is meant to come out next year sometime, showing the life in the kitchen as well as the hit the industry has taken due to price increases of food and drinks.

Went onto pastry for a day, just to see what it was like, enjoyed it but I still know that larder is my favourite section, very hands on and more satisfying making a full dish for a customer. However, getting an insight into pastry was great, learning new recipes and how that section runs was a very useful skill. Have another festive set menu now too, so making sure that all perfect, new garnish for the chicken pie and also a new venison dish that was added that was fantastic to see. Garnish has also gotten a new fish dish which is definitely the best fish dish I’ve eaten; I’ve been the only one that was making the garlic bread for the dish in the last month or more so I’m happy someone else learned how to do it now.

The End of Summer at The Hand and Flowers

This is my 7th week now and you can feel the change around the town, mainly busy on the weekends now but still getting plenty of customers in the restaurant, a new set lunch menu is up and is now on for 4 days a week, Monday to Thursday with A ’La Carte being on in the evenings. This is attracting a lot more people and keeping all of us busy in work. I’m currently jumping between 2 sections, larder and garnish and helping out where I can with the sauce or main course section. Have a good feel for the place now and know the best way to plan the day. I also started doing breakfast now and again enjoying that, happy to be getting as much as possible out of the place, just means I have to be in work for 7 so even less sleep!

The new set menu for larder is sweetcorn soup with charred sweetcorn and chili salsa with chive oil and croutons then other option is pig head with pancetta, pork crackling, artichoke puree, pickled plum, oat crumble and beef jus. Both dishes are incredible and a bit of work as some items on the dishes require a couple of days to get ready. The pig head comes in whole; we slow cook it for the night before picking it, seasoning it and pressing it which again takes a night to press fully, it then has to be portioned perfectly and put through a panne station. The pork skins also take some prep time, we have to cut them to size, vac pac them, cook overnight, take some fat off and then slice it and cook it before service, so if you are short on them you could mess up the whole service.

The garnish section side has changed from boulangère to pomme puree, this actually saves a huge amount of time as prepping 50kg of onions for lyonnaise every second day was sometimes a struggle, not to mention the fondant potatoes that were cut by hand for the top of the dish, however I felt like making it was a lot of fun and was an elegant little side dish to have. A new pork garnish was added with a celery and lovage emulsion which is always satisfying when you get it perfect.

I got to go down to The Butchers Tap and Grill, another restaurant in the company for 3 days just to cover staff, I really enjoyed being down there as it was a change of service and vastly different food. The name describes what food they serve here, huge pieces of meat prepared in front of the customer by the restaurant butcher.

This place had a lot more of a relaxed feeling, more like a chilled-out pub that has sports on and gets very lively on a busy day. It was great to see the difference in cooking techniques, with a large grill and open kitchen, probably a higher turnover of customers due to the main being the highlight of the meals, but then again, some steaks took an hour to be cooked due to the size of them.

The Hand and Flowers - Marlow, England

My name is Callum Priest and I’ve started work at the Hand and Flowers in Marlow, England. This is a 2 Michelin star pub with four AA rosettes, owned by Tom Kerridge, it opened in 2005 and is still going strong. It was awarded its first Michelin star in 2006 and got its second star in 2011. The restaurant is now run by head chef Tom De Keyser, who started in the Hand 2 years ago, before this he was at The Coach, another business in the Tom Kerridge company that also has a Michelin star.

I started work on Monday the 15^th of August, having the title of Demi Chef De Partie and I am seriously enjoying the time I have been there so far. The team here are incredibly friendly and welcoming and I feel that I fit in very well. My first day I started on the larder section, which is in charge of starters, I was happily surprised that I was put straight onto service as I could get a feel of how the kitchen operates. During these 2 weeks on this section, I got to meet Tom Kerridge and had a chat with him about where I’m from and what I was doing before moving here. Have to say it was a bit of shock seeing him the first time as he is such a well-known chef and I was a little bit nervous.

Over the next week I became more and more comfortable with the place and was then moved onto the garnish section, which is responsible for the garnish and sides for the main course dishes. I again got heavily involved in this section helping with service and also doing miso during the day.

The following week was the staff party, which was at Tom Kerridge’s house, which I still think is amazing that I got to go there, it just shows how much he cares about the staff. As there are 5 business’ in the company there was a lot of staff present, we were treated to drinks and food all day, as well as a boat trip back to the town when it was over. Having this on the third week of being there really helped me get to know more of the staff and actually have a normal conversation outside of work.

I found that I was always looking forward to going to work each morning even though the hours are long, starting at 7:30 in the morning and not finishing until 11:30 at night, with 80+ hours worked per week. The food is fantastic, simple, normal ingredients done very well. The first few weeks were incredibly exciting and I am looking forward to learning so much more from the place! 

The Glorious Gleneagles: Part Three

My days off

I ate alot on my days off. The food here is just incredible.

One of the first places I went to was Noto, edinburgh.  It's an asian style restaurant with a Michelin bib. As i mentioned before the architecture here is breathtaking so when we were going up we took a detour.

 

Upon arrival we were taken care of and the staff were so lovely.

They had a good menu selection with reasonable prices.

It was a whole experience, being used to what is produced in Ireland this was phenomenal. My two favourite things i ordered were, kurobata pork belly, chickpea miso, mushroom for my mains and the chocolate and miso mousse for my dessert.            

Another place I ate at was, friend of mine, Bridge of allan.

This is an influential brunch spot with a very creative menu that caters to the majority including vegans. They had a fairly large menu, a lot of choice.

We ordered bao buns, pulled pork tacos and sriracha and mushroom avo toast.

Bridge of allan is a small town with great history and beautiful views.

The only exciting things I did was go axe throwing and archery. It was all on site in our trail yard only a brief walk. It was well worth it and a very fun experience.

                                       

Overall I would recommend Gleneagles to anyone, I've learned so much not only as a chef but as a person. Don't be afraid to travel without friends, going out of your comfort zone is what makes you better.

This has been a great chapter in my life,

Byeeee, Sarah Anna :)