<p paraeid="{aa201b82-cd57-4348-9776-6cc612222d01}{212}" paraid="1435493454">Last week, Weston College hosted the Institute of Hospitality West of England: Best of the West Conference, designed to celebrate the best of western hospitality and discuss critical issues such as recruitment, retention, and innovation.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{aa201b82-cd57-4348-9776-6cc612222d01}{234}" paraid="1182038488">The event was sponsored by Accelerate which is a unique initiative that will provide sector support and workshops to individuals in North Somerset that is funded by the UK Government Community Renewal Fund. The Accelerate Programme has allocated part of their funding to the Best of the West event, as Weston-super-Mare is so dependent on tourism, they want to help local hospitality businesses thrive. &nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{aa201b82-cd57-4348-9776-6cc612222d01}{248}" paraid="1386207101">The conference featured a vibrant panel session which was chaired by Sarah Peters of Commercial Development, Alex Polizzi of Polizzi Collection and The Hotel Inspector, Dean of Services at Weston College Sandra Bull, Dan Flanagan - Recruitment Manager from Liberation Group and Butcombe Brewery and Front of House Manager Chris Bancroft at The Newt.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-GB" paraeid="{5ebffa10-3e19-45b8-823f-efa25dcbb4e2}{22}" paraid="1713279703" xml:lang="EN-GB">Key skills sessions on communication on hospitality for the deaf community were&nbsp;delivered as part of the conference and attendees had the chance to meet suppliers, meet industry professionals and learn more about the training and employment support that Weston College can offer.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-GB" paraeid="{e9ea90c1-53c3-4881-a577-3ae4f05f04ca}{107}" paraid="1126686173" xml:lang="EN-GB">Lynsey Mckinstry from the Business Growth team at Weston College comments “Working with the Institute of Hospitality, who expressed their interest in bringing their annual conference to Weston-super-Mare, we felt that this was the perfect opportunity to offer businesses and individuals the chance to network and be part of the conversation about the industry and the challenges it faces.”&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{aa201b82-cd57-4348-9776-6cc612222d01}{254}" paraid="1645491000">“We hope all attendees from the world of hospitality found this event useful and that it cemented our promise and commitment to assist with supporting their business growth. We aim to&nbsp;help the industry move forward positively within a sector so hard hit over the past two years and see it flourish!”&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Prayag delivering guest lecture" data-align="right" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="757c4d50-3ac1-4f7d-af38-abcf873acebc" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Prayag%201.jpg" />Two guest chefs made an appearance this March to teach our Hospitality and Catering learners a range of exciting and innovative new cooking skills. Linking up with people from industry is an important factor in our Hospitality Career Excellence Hub.</p>

<p>First up was Prayag Rajpura, head chef of Lympsham Pavilion. Prayag’s lesson focussed on demonstrating the use of spices, seeds, and herbs to create high protein, intensely flavoured dishes. These meals were also either vegetarian or vegan, a key demographic in today’s hospitality industry, for example the chickpea curry which was served with chutneys and pickles.</p>

<p>From the business side of hospitality, Prayag also taught about sourcing ingredients, costing products and how to make smart business decisions as a chef to ensure good revenue and profits.</p>

<p>Prayag has helmed several restaurants in Weston, including vegan pop-up restaurants and local community café the Stable, which provided thousands of free school meals to households in Weston during the first Covid lockdown.</p>

<p>The second guest chef to make an appearance was Dave Newman, the Patron chef of the Ginger Pig Kitchen who made a sticky toffee pudding blended with ‘porkcorn.’ Dave was able to demonstrate cooking technology to the learners when using his Thermomix to make the pudding element of the dish.</p>

<p>This recipe used gluten free flours since Dave has his kitchen aim to produce foods for all dietary requirements, highlighting that more customers can be reached, and a restaurant can gain higher customer satisfaction by replacing allergens.</p>

<p>Dave garnished the pudding with a popped pork fat known as pork corn to add flavour. Speaking about pairing flavours, he went on to add a rich butter scotch sauce and salted caramel ice cream to add a modern twist.</p>

<p>Dave has broad experience producing a uniformed product which can cater to most diets, having previously led his own course of a Brit awards banquet!</p>

<p>A big thanks to both of these chefs for coming and speaking to our learners, the skills they gain from this will be excellent.</p>

<p>If you want to find out more about our Hospitality and Catering courses, click here: <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/hospi… and Catering | Weston College</a></p>

<p>Weston College’s Hospitality and Catering <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/career-excellence-hubs?utm_source=homepage-hea… Excellence Hub</a>, has been awarded national success, named as Outstanding Industry Partnerships award winners at The Professional Association of Catering Education (PACE) awards.</p>

<p>PACE is the representative body for hospitality and catering education with a regional and national network of members, and these awards are a celebration of the work that happens on a daily basis in education to develop the future workforce of the hospitality industry.</p>

<p>Weston College was commended for its work during the pandemic, and the opportunities that were created for learners through working with employers, despite difficult circumstances.</p>

<p>Sandra Bull, Dean of Faculty for Hospitality, said: “We are so pleased to have won this award, as it reflects the hard work and dedication of not only our staff, but also our students, who continue to impress us and raise the profile of the work we do.</p>

<p>“Our team doesn’t stand still, and we are always looking to create opportunities that will benefit our learners, and that is demonstrated in this award.</p>

<p>“One of the aspects that we were commended for, was our links with employers, and how we deliver regular masterclasses which offers our learners a unique and exciting way to develop their skills – experiencing a range of techniques. We must thank our endorsing employers who work so closely with our curriculum it allows our learners to learn from their journeys, expertise and experience. But also the importance of experience, whether that be through placements or working live events, which is a key part of our delivery at Weston College.”</p>

<p>A huge well done to the Hospitality and Catering team. If you would like to study one of our hospitality courses, you can find out more information, <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/hospi…;