A luxury Buckinghamshire hotel has partnered with a Michelin-starred chef to host the grand finale of a school culinary competition, designed to develop the employability skills required in the hospitality sector.
Horwood House Hotel, a 4-star country house hotel and conference venue in Little Horwood, near Milton Keynes, recently welcomed Year 9 students from four local schools for the culmination of the ‘Menu Masters Challenge’.
The initiative, created by the Bucks Skills Hub and run in partnership with twice Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar and Horwood House Hotel, invited teams of six from The Beaconsfield School, Cressex Community School, The Buckingham School and Sir Thomas Freemantle School, to design and pitch a concept for a new restaurant or pop-up with a menu to a judging panel.
The challenge was designed to develop students’ soft skills, including creativity, imagination, teamwork, collaboration, communication and presentation skills, which will help improve their confidence and behaviour in a business environment.
The winning team from Sir Thomas Fremantle School, whose South American-themed restaurant concept captured the judges’ attention with its creative blend of food and artistic expression, will be awarded a week of work experience, split between Horwood House and Atul’s restaurants, giving them invaluable hands-on industry experience.
In an exciting surprise addition on the day, Bonnie May, CEO of Global Infusion Group, also offered the winning students the chance to work with her head chef to create a menu that will be served to the crew and event support teams at the upcoming Lewis Capaldi concerts in Hyde Park, which will be credited to them.
Horwood House’s owner, Karim Kassam, who played a key role in the challenge by mentoring two of the teams and sharing industry insights, said: “At Horwood, we’re deeply committed to our community and to showing young people the diverse career pathways available in hospitality. Throughout this challenge, we have seen these students develop essential employability skills, from creativity and problem-solving to finding the confidence to stand up and sell their ideas. It has been a privilege to mentor them and to host this fantastic final.”
The Bucks Skills Hub is an organisation connecting the business community and education and training providers to help young people and adults at every stage of their careers, helping them develop the necessary skills and qualifications to enter and progress in the workplace.
Caroline Cooper, Operational Hub Lead/Enterprise & Projects Coordinator at Bucks Skills Hub, said: “This challenge provided a great form of work experience for the Year 9 students involved. We’re delighted to have teamed up with Horwood House and Atul Kochhar to provide a challenge to students to develop the essential soft skills relied upon in the hospitality sector, and its many careers. The students have learned what it takes to interpret a brief, work as a team to find a solution and to present that back to specialists in the field, with the need for outstanding food and exemplary service front of mind. The time and input from our employers in supporting and coaching these teams has been fantastic.”
The initiative underscores Horwood House’s dedication to social responsibility and community investment. Following a recent £6.5million refurbishment, the 38-acre estate serves as a premier training ground where young people can learn from industry experts while gaining hands-on experience.
