FOOD & NUTRITION: The art of making bread

Our GCSE food and nutrition students learnt about bread-making and more during an action-packed trip to London

FOOD and nutrition students tried their hands at artisan bread-making during an action-packed day in London.

Around 25 GCSE students learnt how to make a range of tasty Italian breads, including focaccia and grissini breadsticks, at the renowned Bread Ahead Bakery School, based in the capital's famous Borough Market.

During the intensive two-hour course led by experienced tutors, students worked with fresh yeast and learned about different flours and types of Italian breads, and how yeast works as a raising agent.

Divided into two groups, they practised folding focaccia dough as well as rolling and shaping dough to make grissini.

There was also time to explore the various stalls and stands at the vibrant food and produce market, bursting with a wide range of locally sourced and exotic ingredients, renowned for their quality and traceability.

Students chatted to stall holders, who explained the provenance of the food they were selling.

They also bought some delicious snacks and lunch, including salt beef bagels, Indian samosas and other street food delicacies, with brownies and doughnuts to follow. Some brave students even tried oysters for the first time.

After lunch, everyone enjoyed a walk along the Thames, over Tower Bridge and the Embankment, as they took in some of the major sights.

Following an Underground trip back to King’s Cross, they walked to St Pancras to take in the stunning architecture before boarding their train home.

Food and nutrition teacher Mrs Solden, accompanied by Mrs O’Brien and Mr Livesey on the trip, said: “It was a wonderful, if very tiring, day”.