Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé

Why did you choose to study your course at NTU?

I wanted to learn more about sourdough. I started working in kitchens at 14 and got more into baking during COVID.  I started with a Level 2 bakery course and Level 2 patisserie course, and worked as an apprentice, doing patisserie, cake decoration and bakery.
I didn’t just want to be a baker anymore and wanted to go more technical, and then I found the School of Artisan Food on Instagram.
I was originally looking at the Advanced Diploma and was going to do that, but then found that the FdSc Artisan Food Production came out with student finance available, so opted for that.

What do you enjoy most about your course?

The practical side of it, but I’ve enjoyed it all. Everything links together and goes back-to-back. I liked the dairy module – it was very hands on and quite therapeutic and you go right into the biology of it and do sensory testing.

How do you find your modules and what have you most enjoyed studying?

The modules are good – they are 50/50 practical and theory, even the ones at NTU are half practical and half theory exam, such as food chemistry. I enjoyed studying the food industry and professional practice.

What do you think about the facilities available on your course and what do you use the most?

At the School of Artisan Food, the full bakery kit is provided and the equipment is state-of-the-art. At Brackenhurst, you can rent the food labs and make your own stuff in your free time and you can use the labs for your dissertation. It has very expensive equipment.

The bars are good fun and are open five days a week. There are socials every week and I enjoyed going into the Animal Unit on Friday, where there are rabbits and reptiles. The community at Brackenhurst is quite close-knit as it’s a small group. Everyone knows everyone on campus, it’s more like a community than a campus, it feels like a residential. I’ve lived both years on campus. You can get the bus into Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé – I do that a few times a month.

What is your top tip for someone considering studying/ living at Brackenhurst Campus?

If you like the outdoors bring decent clothes because the campus is massive and you can walk around for hours and hours. Join a society / club and join a pub crawl on a Friday night before Fluid.

Have you been involved in any placements, work experience or volunteering as part of your course? If so, what did you do and what did you achieve?

During the placement, I went to Iceland and worked in two artisan bakeries and a commercial bakery near Reykjavik. My old boss had connections that helped me get the placement. I then got a bursary with the Worshipful Company of Bakers, being chosen as one of only 10 people in the UK and Ireland. Last year, I also got a bursary to go to the Bakers Innovation Centre in Leicester. I spent a week doing new product development; it was a good way to network with people and I’m still in contact with a lot of them.

I’ll be going to Switzerland for a week at Richemont Frachschule to train at that Bakery School Centre of Excellence in July. Last year I won Young Baker of the Year at the National Bakery Awards and during my sandwich year, I also taught level 4 apprentices, and level 2 and 3 bakery science at Belfast Metropolitan College Further Education College.

Why would you recommend your course to someone considering studying it?

I’ve already recommended it to people who are now on the course.

What are your plans for after the course and how do you feel your course has/ will help you to achieve that goal?

I plan to do the top-up year to the full BSc (Hons) and then maybe work in new product development in baked goods.  I will continue with teaching too.

Any additional comments:

If you’re at Brackenhurst, go outside, make the most of it. Go to the pub, join a society. Make the most of the services like the library, employability services and other opportunities through student support.