Level 1 Culinary Skills

If you are interested in working in the thriving hospitality industry but don’t yet have any experience, this broad and exciting one-year course has been designed to build up your basic knowledge and understanding of the principles of food preparation as well as getting to grips with the fundamentals of front-of-house skills. It will give you the confidence to work in a busy kitchen and restaurant environment and provide you with the basic knowledge and understanding of the principles of food preparation, including the complex principles of cooking meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables.

This course will develop your experience and skills both as a chef and in a front of house environment, preparing you for a career in the hospitality sector. You will learn from tutors who have real industry experience, with many having worked in Michelin star and AA Rosette restaurants. Our in-house kitchen and award-winning restaurant, Buckley’s, is where you will begin your culinary journey, creating and serving dishes for our friendly customers. The course will give you the basic knowledge and skills required to take you on to the next level, whether that is Level 2 in Culinary Skills or an apprenticeship in the catering and hospitality industry. This course will provide you with all the vital topics needed for you to progress, whatever your goal.

This course covers a wealth of topics and will develop your skills and techniques to prepare you for the workplace. You will focus on knife skills, kitchen equipment, food safety and cookery techniques such as steaming, boiling, poaching, braising, roasting, grilling and baking. In addition, you will learn how to understand menus, deal with payments and bookings, and explore bar service skills.

After successfully completing this course, you will have the skills and knowledge needed to progress on to further study such as our Level 2 Culinary Skills course, or even an apprenticeship. The hospitality and culinary arts industry is currently thriving and there will be an abundance of potential career paths open to you in the future. From Michelin star restaurants and high-end hotels to quaint cafes and village inns, you are sure to find something that suits your niche. Perhaps you will go on to become a professional cake decorator, creating show-stopping masterpieces! You could even become a food blogger and take Instagram-worthy snaps of your mouth-watering creations. The industry is bigger than it ever has been, and with so many choices available the world is at your feet.

We have excellent links with local and national employers, giving you the opportunity to take part in prestigious and valuable work experience. You could take part in placements with The Kirkwood Hotel, Australasia restaurant, the Art School Restaurant, and Brunning & Price Inns.

Working with talented professionals will boost your skills and provide you with valuable industry insight. We ensure that your course is full of opportunities to learn from the best, including chefs who have cooked for the Queen! We currently work with one of the best chefs in the country, Gary Usher from Elite Bistros, along with Michelin star chef Aiden Byrne, famous for restaurants such as The Church Green. Chefs including Rob Brueford from Dine Catering have been so impressed by our students that they have offered them jobs upon completion of their courses.

You will be allocated a progress coach who will provide you with support to help you succeed on your study programme and progress on to your chosen career or progression path. We have a team of staff dedicated to providing learning support if required, as well as a Welfare Team that is on hand to offer guidance, support and help when needed.

Additionally, eligible students can access a wide range of finance and funding support to help them during their time at college.

Click here for learning support: https://wvr.ac.uk/college-life/learning-support

Click here for finance support: https://wvr.ac.uk/college-life/financial-support

Studying this course with us means you will be part of an industry-led, public-serving department that has previously held the prestigious AA Rosette ‘Highly Commended’ and the People 1^st Silver Hospitality Award. Our students achieved gold and ‘Best in Class’ awards at the Welsh International Culinary Championships 2019 and were also regional winners at the Seafood Chef of the Year Competition 2018. Taking part and winning places in these competitions really helps you to stand out from the crowd when applying for jobs or university places after college. The tutors you will learn from have a great deal of industry experience to share with you.

You will need a minimum of four GCSEs at grade 2 or above. If you have not already achieved a grade 4 in your GCSE English and/or maths, you will be required to work towards either a functional skills qualification or a GCSE in English and/or maths as part of your study programme.

Irrespective of your GCSE results, most students will start at level 1 and learn basic skills before progressing through the levels.

There may be some additional costs associated with this course, as you will need to purchase a chef and front of house uniform along with a knife kit. Further details of this will be confirmed upon application. You will also be asked to contribute to the cost of day and residential trips. During your course you may take part in visits to local and national restaurants, as well as hotels and industry outlets, which you may need to contribute towards.