Yeovil College students turn up the heat at The Apple Tree Restaurant

On the evening of Thursday 9 July, students from Yeovil College will take over The Apple Tree Restaurant to cook up a chilli-themed three course feast for their friends and families. Part of the week-long Chilli Pepper Festival taking place at the award-winning Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil, the students will get a taste of working in the garden centre’s professional restaurant, from seating guests and handling orders, right through to cleaning down at the end of the shift.

The Gardens Group supplied the students with the chilli plants back in March and since then, they have been nurturing them in the greenhouse at Yeovil College and designing their menu for this special evening. On the night, students with VRQ2 Professional Cookery qualifications will be facing the heat in the kitchen, while the front of house team will be made up of students from Level 1-3 courses.

Having successfully completed and passed their hospitality qualifications, the students should be off for a well-earned break, but instead this group of volunteers will be serving up a full-flavoured and fiery menu. Chilli and lime crab cakes will be followed by homemade beef burgers and spicy potato wedges, with Chilli Salsa and Chilli Slaw on the side. With their guests’ taste-buds still tingling, the students will finish their service with a Chocolate Chilli Tart, cooled off with some marinated minty strawberries and whipped cream.

Derrick Goddard, Curriculum Area Manager for Hospitality at Yeovil College, explains;

“Having just completed their courses for the year, our students are delighted to be heading straight into a professional kitchen to show off their skills to consumers. The Gardens Group’s Chilli Pepper Festival came at the perfect time and has given them the opportunity to see the entire process through, from growing the chilli plants themselves to serving up their own three-course menu.”

The students will take over The Apple Tree Restaurant from 7:30pm – 10pm on Thursday 9 July.

For more information about The Gardens Group please visit www.thegardeneronline.co.uk.