Supporting chefs of the future

Pictured above: Dani Hope and Kit Graves, Lake District Hotels with Simon Jackson, headteacher, Keswick School.

Kit Graves, director of Lake District Hotels Ltd, came up with a masterplan to update Keswick School’s food technology facilities. They were so out of touch with today’s professional teaching kitchens, that it required a complete refit. Kit’s idea to turn the room into a TV style Bake-off kitchen was agreed, which then followed with 18 months of fundraising activities from Lake District Hotels Ltd, to raise the required amount of £30,000.

The official opening …

On 20th September, an official opening for the kitchen took place; the ribbon was cut to reveal the brand-new kitchen in front of the school’s governors, directors and trustees, along with local community groups, the Mayor of Keswick and Allerdale, plus all sponsors and contractors that have been part of the project.

We were proud to have been a part of the project and David Jenkins, our sales director, attended the grand opening. We had gifted a cash donation and also supported the fundraising efforts through gift donations for raffle prizes at events.

Lake District Hotels provided the catering for the event, welcoming guests with a glass of fizz and tasty canapés from Mizu, the hotel group’s pan-Asian restaurant which is located at Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa. Once inside the kitchen, Mizu’s head chef, Kasun Jayasooriya carried out a sushi demonstration which was projected onto the white board using state of the art technology for all to see.

Simon Jackson, head teacher at Keswick School commented, “Both staff and students have been excited to see the refurbished food technology kitchen at the start of a new academic year. This fantastic teaching space, provided through the amazing support of the Lake District Hotels group, will encourage more children to learn about cooking and understand the importance of a good diet. The design captures the essence of the Great British Bake Off and I’m sure will inspire more students to seriously consider a career in catering and hospitality in the future.”

Both Lake District Hotels and Keswick School have made it clear that the kitchen development is just the beginning of their working relationship together, with future plans for Lake District Hotels talented chefs to provide cooking demonstrations within the school, as well as introducing students into work experience roles, and apprenticeships within the hotel group.