Jason's cooking up a treat

IF you're inspired by watching the likes of celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay on TV, a good way to get into the industry is by starting as an apprentice.

That's exactly what Jason Castleton did when he signed up for the City of Bristol College's apprenticeship scheme.

Jason, who is 18 and lives in Thornbury, didn't know what he wanted to do when he left school.

His careers adviser had suggested an apprenticeship, and after entering the Bristol Young Chef of the Year competition, he applied to the Aztec Hotel near the M4/M5 junction in Almondsbury.

Having now just completed his NVQ level 3 in professional cookery, Jason said: "What I enjoy most is putting Replica Chanel Shoes a dish together at the end, after all the preparation.

It's intense work, but it's not like you see with celebrity chefs - it's not so stressed."

During his apprenticeship Jason spent Thursdays at the college and worked four days a week at the hotel, with morning and lunchtime shifts, and evenings and some weekends.

At the college he cooked for the college restaurant, members of the public, and students and staff.

He also learned the theory of cooking, about different foods and the best ways to cook them.

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Jason said: "I worked mainly on desserts, and my favourite is creme brulee.

"I worked on my own, but if I needed to find something out one of the other chefs would help.

"The most challenging part of the job is probably the preparation before you start to cook, and the need to keep to a strict timescale.

"A good chef has to work fast and keep their nerve. If you're having an off day, you still have to do the job.

"One day I'd like to run my own restaurant or cafe, somewhere abroad that's hot. But my apprenticeship was a fantastic route to helping me become a professional chef."

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Aztec Hotel's head chef Mike Riordan has worked for Shire Hotels for more than 20 years, and is keen to encourage young people to follow his footsteps into hospitality.

He said: "We're a large hotel with a lot of chefs, so we need a progression of trainees coming through.

"We can only have a small number of apprentices at a time, so if I come across a young person who's particularly good but our own hotel can't take them, I'll tell the head chef at another leading hotel about them.

"Find the right person and you will strengthen your team."

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