Trainee chefs learn the value of artisan foods in Northern Ireland

Artisan food and drink enterprises in Northern Ireland will benefit from a bridge building initiative by the region's biggest culinary and hospitality institute.

Trainee chefs and catering students at Belfast Metropolitan College, based in the city's Titanic Quarter, are learning how best to use food from Northern Ireland's burgeoning artisan sector in their dishes and menus.

Students and staff are visiting local artisan producers to help integrate their training and also in meals prepared in their training programmes for the college's upmarket Linen Lounge restaurant. The first artisan enterprise to be visited by students and staff as Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil, an award winning business on a family farm near Limavady.

The staff and students also saw the fields of oil seed rape growing on the farm and were then shown how to cold-press the seeds to create the unique Liquid Gold oils used by top chefs and home cooks throughout Ireland and also in Paris, where the products are now sold by La Grande Epicerie, France's first-ever department store.

Leona Kane, who founded Broighter Gold Rapeseed oil with husband Richard in 2011 in what has turned out to be a highly successful farm diversification project, welcomed the opportunity to host the first visit by the trainees that included a tour of the cold-pressing and bottling plant. "It gave me a tremendous opportunity to highlight the many benefits of cooking with rapeseed oil over other culinary oils. It's low in saturated fat and contains omegas 3, 6 and 9. It's also a healthy option for fried dishes.

"I was delighted to support the college's initiative because it strengthens the knowledge of trainees on locally sourced products now available across Northern Ireland, products which combine quality, taste and, of course, provenance. I welcome the work on the college to expand the engagement with local artisans. It's good for the trainees seeking to create high quality and tasty local dishes from the superb produce now available throughout the province."

Students and staff were also able to tour the unique museum on rapeseed oil at Broglasco.

Most of the students were enrolled in the successful City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Professional Food and Beverage Service (QCF), a course which provides a flow of young chefs and other staff to the food industry here.

Belfast Met's Gavin Doran, the co-ordinator of Level 2 City and Guilds, led the visit to Broighter Gold and is quick to acknowledge the importance of strengthening links with local artisans. "There are so many exciting things going on in the industry here, so many really interesting artisan businesses with superb products. We were delighted when Leona Kane agreed to host a visit for the students and to provide such an interesting overview of the process and the benefits of rapeseed oils in the culinary process. The QCF course is an immensely successful one which is supported by many local chefs and the hospitality industry."

It's a one-year full time course which delivers the practical skills and knowledge required to work successfully across all areas of the food service industry, in particular front of house. The qualification covers all aspects of food and beverage service. It develops the key skills required by the learner to ensure they will have a thorough understanding of the role and expectations of any future employer. Sections covered include

• Food Safety in Catering

• Health and Safety in Catering and Hospitality

• Applying Workplace Skills

• Legislation in Food and Beverage Service

• Menu Knowledge and Design

• Food and Beverage Service Skills

• Service of Hot Beverages